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[The dam manager's death is required]
[Houjou Satoko's admission into the clinic is required]

Spoiler:

Satoshi-kun really was a considerate brother for his sister.

When school is out, he would always head straight to the clinic to visit Satoko-chan, and speak to her warmly to help her restore her energy.

Even without listening to Satoshi-kun's explanation... It was clear that Satoko-chan wasn't able to build a good relationship with her family up to this point.
......Her conflict with her stepfather was especially intense, I hear the disturbance even went as far as Satoko-chan making a false SOS call for abuse.

At at time like this, to have her parents die together in a falling accident...... There's no doubt that her heart was not able to withstand all this damage.

For Satoko-chan, who's still in her tender years, this must be a very painful event for her, but..........among all the unfortunate things, it's fortunate that she has such a wonderful brother there for her.

A wounded heart cannot be healed easily.
But there is no better cure for it than family love.
......I believed that one day, Satoko-chan will be able to regain her smiles.

Although she still hasn't recovered from the shock yet, she's slowing regaining her smiles from her communication with Satoshi-kun.

...Oishi from the police department is still presistently requesting to meet with her, as usual, but I suppose there's still a need for me to act as her breakwater.
......That man might have the passion as a police officer, but he doesn't have the gentleness of being considerate for others.

If that man insensibly forces her to remember her parents accident, there's no doubt her wound in her heart will open up again.
.........That point alone is the worry that surrounds Satoko-chan.

*knock knock*

The sound of knocking... It's Takano-san.

...But her nurse outfit... for some reason, it just doesn't look right on her.
She has a medical license, so she could've just worn a white coat and acted as a doctor herself.
......It might just be her way of having fun, but it also feels a little rude to the real nurses.... Of course, I won't actually say that out loud.

Takano: "Satoshi-kun, good afternoon. Play together with Satoko-chan, ok? She's been all alone today, so I think she must be lonely.... right?"
Satoko: "T, that's not true..."
Satoshi: "Muu."

Irie: "Well, Satoshi-kun, I'll leave things here to you."
I stood up from my seat, and entrusted Satoko-chan to Satoshi-kun.

Irie: "By the way, is something the matter...?"
Takano: "This is not a good place, let's go to the manager's office....... *giggle*."
Sometimes, Takano-san would laugh mysteriously.

For many people, a smiling face is a good thing that brings with it the feeling of happiness.
...But recently, I began to realize that, in Takano-san's case, a smile does not carry that meaning....

Irie: "...Is that true?"
Takano: "Yes. The results of the simple exam revealed the possibly of a high level outbreak that's believed to be higher than L3. There's a need for her to be admitted and further examined with more extensive tests....... We're still waiting for a result, but from what I can see, it might even be a L4."
I could see Takano-san's eyes laugh unpleasantly.

There's a reason for that.
............To obtain a living terminal outbreak patient is a very valuable thing for the continuation of our research, that's why.

In fact, as the result of the inhuman dissection of last year's...... dismemberment murderder as a specimen, our research managed to make leaping advances.

In other words, we have finally managed to determine the disease's pathogen.
We have also discovered it's unique characteristic where it would dissolve within a few hours of the death of it's host.
After dissolving, it breaks down into common elements that's normally found within the body, so we also understood that it's almost impossible to look for it by then.

......With that, it also explained why we weren't able to find the pathogen no matter how many autopsies we did.

The research from now on will be at a totally different level from the reseach up to this point.
It's probably not an exaggeration to say that our work during this 1 year have already surpassed the 10-odd years worth of research done by the late-Takano.
Right now, we have expanded into various researches on the characteristics and effects of the pathogen, the symptoms, as well as treatments and vaccines.

In other words... without a living terminal outbreak patient to use as a specimen, there will be no advances in our research.

However, it is rare for a terminal outbreak patient, also known as L5, to happen on it's own.
The ancient Hinamizawa Syndrome apparantly caused a large number of L5 occurances, but it no longer has that potency now.

Which means that securing L5 patients, or perhaps severe outbreak patients close to L5, has become our priority.
.........What this means is that Satoko-chan, who fulfills that requirement, could become the first sacrifice we have had in a year.

To keep the strange disease classified, we cannot allow patients who are feared to be L5 to run around loose.
...We need to first perform a detailed examination... and then think of a response plan after seeing the result.

After all, Satoko-chan is perfectly calm right now.... She's showing no signs of the kind of derangement displayed by last year's murderer.

......Simple exams can produce big errors sometimes.
We just have to wait for the results of the detailed exam to determine whether Satoko-chan is a severe outbreak patient or not.

Irie: "......Understood. Let's admit her into the clinic under the reason of observation. Please arrange things with the other staff members."

That's just an answer by formality, but...... if the result of her examination comes back positive, it will also mean that she will be immediately moved for dissection.

Although I haven't met with Satoko-chan many times... I have already built a long history of contact with her brother, Satoshi-kun, through the youth baseball team.

Satoshi-kun loved his sister enough to melt people's hearts.........Can I do such a thing as dissecting her......?

Coming this far, for the first time, I could feel horrifying images climbling up by body from my feet....

It was an evil smile, as if she was trying to say that even the dissection operation has already been arranged for.

But, is she the only one who has that smile?
...Am I not wearing such an ugly and twisted smile on my face as well.........?

During the dissection last year.... I did feel guilty before the dissection.

But once I made up my mind to proceed with the dissection...... what was in front of me was a paradise of intellectual curiosity.

The pieces left behind by the late-Takano which were filled with foresight were further confirmed, or perhaps betrayed. Either way, it was one excitement after another.

The excitement of stepping into a mysterious realm that nobody has ever solved before....
This taste of excitement that enslaves you like narcotics, just how can I explain it to someone who has never tasted it? There's no word to describe it.

The only thing that I can say is...... Even one year later right now, I still cannot forget that intellectual excitement.

That's why, if the result of the examination...... shows that Satoshi-kun's beloved sister will become the target for dissection............will I be able to stay calm without licking my lips in excitement?

But, ...if I do that, then it would mean that I fail as a human being.

I know just how much the Houjou family has been isolated from the village, and just how much pain Satoko-chan has went though.
...And, I also know just how important that Satoko-chan is to Satoshi-kun as his only relative.

Can I dissect such a Satoko-chan, while she's still alive, just for the sake of my intellectual excitement.........?

I didn't feel much guilt for the man last year...... yet I can feel such heavy guilt towards Satoko-chan.
......That fact has forced me to remember last year's sin that I have been trying to forget.

If it's a man I've never seen before, then it's ok for him to die.
If it's Satoko-chan, then I don't want her to die. That's not a fair reason.
The weight of life should be equal for everyone.

Besides, the reason for my feeling of guilt to be thinned out...... the fact that the man was a violent murderer, it could've very well been something caused by the terminal outbreak.

......I know nothing of that man before he became deranged.
He might very well have been a model citizen worthy of respect.

......He could've been just a poor victim who has had an unfortunate outbreak, and ended up committing anti-social behaviours as the result.... That's right, just like my father....

I know more about the Hinamizawa Syndrome than anyone else.
This disease makes people do bizarre things that they never wished for. Without even the person themself feeling weird about it.

...That's why, no matter how atrocious and bizarre the acts performed by these terminal outbreak patients of this disease are, they should still be worthy of our sympathy and compassion.
And I already knew about this back when I first decided to step onto this path too...!

Recalling such things that should've been obvious to me, as if I remembered them just now... I realized just how much I'm throwing myself into a sinful research.

Finally, Houjou Satoko's detailed examination results have come back.

The result, L5.... Terminal of terminals.

In a way, it should've been a shocking result.

In last year's case, the terminal outbreak patient was in a severely deranged state.
According to Takano-san's observation records, the patient complained of intense itch coming from lymph nodes all over the body, and wanted to scratch his own throat, just like the late-Takano pointed out.

But Satoko-chan is showing no such signs.

Even in the data left behind by the late-Takano, while he mentioned the throat scratching as a very unique terminal symptom, he did not say that it would occur in every patient.

Besides, there are personal differences in people's emotional expressions.
Even with the same feeling, some people would express it intensely, while others would hide it within themselves.
It's impossible to predict how one person would react with only one look.

But the results of Satoko-chan's detailed examination is showing the terminal stage of terminal stages, L5.

In other words... she's simply not showing the same kind of deranged behaviours like the man last year did...... but within her heart, there should be the exact same kind of abnormal feelings that's similar to madness torrenting through her.

The Hinamizawa Syndrome acts on a person's frontal lobe... and strongly stimulates one of human's most primitative emotions, "doubt".
......As the result, terminal outbreak patients are trapped within severe delusions and paranoia, ultimately resulting in them committing horrifying atrocities....

Satoko-chan is exchanging warm communications with the visiting Satoshi-kun, and is showing signs of recovery.
.........But within her, the paranoia that could put her into a deranged state any time is continuing it's torrent.......

......I cannot let Satoko-chan leave the clinic like this.

But... at this rate, if we follow the procedures according to the response manual, I will most likely be asked to decide on Houjou Satoko's dissection plan.

......If that happens, then my decision is only a formality.
I do not have the ability to refuse it.

Takano-san appeared to have already started on working out a dissection schedlue.
That plan will be passed on to me.

.........If I dissect Satoko-chan alive.... Will I be able to taste that intellectual excitement again?

Will I be able to reach that realm of trance once again?
...No... Will I be able to win against that temptation?

Will I end up passively agreeing to Satoko-chan's dissection while pretending to be doing this self-questioning and leaving Takano-san to advance things on her own?

...If possible, I want to save Satoko-chan. I don't want to turn her into a sacrifice for the research. And I definitely don't want to dissect her.

But, what will I say about the man last year then?
Am I a person who descriminates by only feeling the weight of life in someone I know?
If I don't want to dissect her, then do I allow her to live and leave the clinic?
And wait blindly until she becomes deranged and cause some horrifying incident?
...And then, would she would be carried in here in a deranged state, just like the man last year... with me ending up dissecting her alive in the end anyway?

The man last year...... was kept alive for several months...... while he was being dissected alive.

With his cranium left in an opened state, he wasn't allowed to die for several months, and was kept alive only for the sake of cruel experiments.
I don't want to force that on her......!

What should I do...?
Even my own worries, even my own conflicts, are passively moving to agree to her dissection....

In the midst of a powerful sunshine that reminds one of a midsummer sun, the baseball youths chased after their white ball freely.
Even the chorus of the cicadas, which makes the heat stand out even more, is nothing more than another sound of cheering for the children right now.

Of course, the children are still properly doing their basic practices, as well as exercising to build stamina.

But the children are really not fond of such P.E. class-like sessions, the free matches that came after the practices are what's really fun for them.

Hinamizawa's school is really nothing more than a site borrowed from the forestry management office.
Because of that, the school yard is made of gravel, which isn't really suited for intense sports.

Compared to that, the grounds over here at this school in Okinomiya is a properly equipped sports ground, so the children can become even more energetic here than usual.
Well, with the kind of energy that the Hinamizawa kids have, a school ground made of gravel probably wouldn't have mattered to them anyway.

Since the other supervisors are watching over the children's matches, Irie used this chance to go buy some juices for the children.

Satoshi: "Kantoku, where are you going?"
Irie: "I'm thinking about going to buy some juices for everyone. If Satoshi-kun's free, it'd be a big help if you can lend me a hand too."
Satoshi: "Ah, yes. I'll help out."
After replying obediently, Satoshi-kun came along with me on the shopping trip.

Since choosing juices with an adult's sense tends to result in complaints, it's great that he chose to come along with me.
Together with Satoshi-kun, we left for the nearby supermarket in the car.

Satoshi: "......Kantoku. How is Satoko doing right now...?"
Irie: "Yes. She's doing well so far. It's slow, but Satoko-chan's emotional wounds are healing as well. It's probably a good idea to let her rest for a little while longer."

It's natural for Satoshi-kun to be worried.
Because it has been 2 weeks since Satoko-chan was admitted into the clinic.

Of course, he doesn't know anything about the fact that his own sister has caught the Hinamizawa Syndrome, and is even on the borderline of L5 and could go mad at any moment.

That's why he's believing that she's only down from the shock of their parent's accident.

Trying to cheer his sister up, he came everyday to visit her, but...... since Satoko-chan's mood became unstable and started to show dangerous signs recently, we had to call off the visits too.

To be honest...... Satoko-chan's condition is not looking good.

The L5 condition that Satoko-chan displayed already puts her at an abnormal level.
The man last year, who was at the same level, was in a condition so abnormal it would even make a terminal narcotics patient run away scared.
...There's absolutely no guarantee that Satoko-chan won't end up just like that as the result of some small trigger.

It's true that we learned of the Hinamizawa Syndrome's true identity and much of it's mechanisms from the dissection of the man last year.
.........We also made valuable discoveries that connects to the development of a treatment.

But a treatment method still remains uncertain... If Satoko-chan is to fall into an unrecoverable state right now... then it's possible that she could be dissected, just like the man last year....

At the borderline of his sister's life and death... I cannot tell Satoshi-kun about it, the only thing I can do is to lie to him like this with vague responses by saying she's recovering nicely.

If something were to happen to her,
......Then it would make me an unforgivable liar to Satoshi-kun.

...The tiny bit of conscience that's still left within me hurts with a prickling pain.

Satoshi: ".........If it's not too much trouble for Kantoku's clinic.... ...It might be a good idea to keep her there for a while longer."

Irie: "......What do you mean by that?"
I figured Satoshi-kun would wish for his sister to be able to leave the hospital as early as possible, so I'm a little surprised.

Irie: "I have heard that Satoko-chan didn't have a very good relationship with your parents, but...... is it the same thing with the uncle's family where you two are living at right now as well...?"
Satoshi: "............... Satoko...... doesn't open herself up to adults very much, that's why."

I have heard about Satoko-chan's unfortunate upbringing from Satoshi-kun before.
......The constant remarriage of their mother has deeply wounded the children's hearts.

Satoshi-kun was able to overcome it, but Satoko-chan was far too young at the time to be able to expect the same from her.

They said that it has become a trauma for her, and she gained the tendency to strongly dislike guardians who are not related to her by blood.
......No, everybody would probably dislike a guardian who's not related to them by blood. It's not something that's only limited to Satoko-chan.

But still, even if they don't like it in their hearts, most people would usually suppress and endure through it.
......However, it looks like that Satoko-chan is just not able to do that....

Satoshi: "Ojisan doesn't come back home very much... even if he's around, he's always either sleeping or watching TV, so there's not much problem there, but.... ......Obasan gets on Satoko's back a lot."
Irie: "......Why is she disliked that much, I wonder...?"

I have a general idea.
......Since Satoko-chan's parents were dam supporters, the uncle's family probably also received punishments just because they're Houjou family too.

On top of that, they went ahead and passed away in an accident just like that, pushing two children onto the uncle's family, there can only be hate, no gratitude, I guess.

Even then, if Satoko-chan had stayed obedient at least on the surface like Satoshi-kun did, then there wouldn't have been much trouble.

......But Satoko-chan cannot be obedient.
And that would soon show in her attitude and expressions, resulting in a big fight.

Satoshi: "......I have explained Satoko's situation to Obasan too, but.... I just can't get her to understand somehow......."
Irie: "And everytime something happens, Satoshi-kun would cover for Satoko-chan. I think that's a model behaviour for an Oniisan, you know. ......For Satoko-chan, Satoshi-kun may be her only relative left now, after all."

Satoshi: "...I suppose so....... I can kind of sense that too."
Mixed with a small sigh, Satoshi-kun said.

...He's not saying it out loud, but... It looks like Satoshi-kun is also feeling tired for being dragged into having to cover for Satoko-chan everytime she has a fight with their Obasan.

He is a nice person and a nice brother.
That's why he'll probably always fight on to protect his little sister.... But that's a very very tiring thing.

Satosh-kun has been living a life like this since they were with their parents.
And then, the balance in his heart finally collapsed, and he fell ill, that's when he visited my place.

I figured now that the source of his symptoms, his parents, have passed away, his conditions would have improved, but....
It would appear that his condition has gotten even more serious than before....

......While pretending to be someone who truly listened to his wish, I felt a little disgusted at my own slyness for making up these self-serving excuses.

What "I'll take responsibility"?
.......And I know perfectly well that Takano-san in the process of preparing her dissection plan outline right now too....

Satoshi: ".........If you can do that...... it'll help me out a bit too."
Irie: "Excuse me...?"

Satoshi: "...No, ............It's just that, if Satoko can stay at the hospital for a while longer... then I can, relax for a bit too....... that's all."
Irie: "What... do you mean by that?"

Satoshi: ".........If Satoko comes back... I think she's probably just going to fight with our aunt again. ...If that happens, it'll be days of fighting and yelling again...... and once I think about how I might get dragged into that too............ Maybe the most relaxing thing for me would be to have Satoko stay at the hospital forever?...... I would end up thinking about something like that ............and I would hate myself...."

Irie: ".........Satoshi-kun...."
Satoshi-kun is a nice brother who always covers for his little sister.... But, that doesn't mean he doesn't feel any burdens either....

Satoshi: "......Then I would think "what a bad brother I am, to think of such a thing"....... And the more I think about that... the more I become disgusted at myself................................."
Saying that, Satoshi-kun sniffed his nose once.
His expression was filled with anguish... as if he's feeling his own sin....

The feeling of wanting to be a model brother has cornered him.
.........Although Satoko-chan is worthy of pity... In a different way, Satoshi-kun is also worthy of pity as well.

As someone who knows the both of them well...... I felt with my whole body that I must be an ally for these two children, who is cared for by no one....

Rika: "......My friend has been in the hospital for a long time now, does she have the Hinamizawa Syndrome?"
Irie: "Who did you hear that from?"

Rika: "......It was just me thinking. How is it, Irie? Does Satoko have the Hinamizawa Syndrome?"

Rika-chan is already someone on our side.
There's nothing to hide from her.

In fact, to not hide anything from her has become a kind of unwritten rule of sincerity for me.

Irie: "............Yes. The poor relationship with her parents, and the sudden death of those parents.... These occurrences have been too great for her to be able to accept all at once.......Perhaps that was the trigger."

Rika: "......The exam results?"

Irie: "It's L5. Although she appears very stable on the surface, her emotions are very unstable. I have turned down Satoshi-kun's visits since a few days ago as well."
Rika: "......I heard from Satoshi. He was worried about how Satoko's wounds in her heart just can't heal....... Irie, what will happen to Satoko?"

Irie: "................................."

To Rika-chan, Satoko-chan is her best friend.
It's obviously impossible for me to tell her that a schedule for the dissection of that Satoko-chan is actually already in progress....

But, in the end, even if I try to skip through her questioning by staying silent, it only confirms that the conditions surrounding Satoko-chan is in a very bad state.

Rika: "......Didn't Irie find out a lot of things by examining my body?"
Irie: "Yes, of course..........We're in a stage of testing out various things right now, including experimental medications that are expected to suppress the symptoms."
Rika: "......Can you not give that to Satoko?"

Irie: "I thought of it once.... But it's quite dangerous. We're still at a stage where we would want to test the medication on specimens that are more fit physically and mentally, and slowly gather data as we go along....... It is not something we can try on someone like Satoko-chan, who cannot afford to lose anything more."

Rika: "......Then, Irie. If you won't try that medicine, what will to happen to Satoko?"
It was a tone as if she knew that Satoko-chan's fate was going to be dissection.

......No, maybe she knows.
I have revealed most of our research to her.
......If she's more mature than she looks, then she can probably figure out the dissection on her own too after some thinking.

Rika: "......I think, if there's even a 1% chance of saving Satoko, then we should bet on it."
Irie: "It's a very dangerous bet.... In the worst case, the terminal symptoms could act out immediately and make her mad, or she could lose her mind and turn into a vegetable that stares at walls with unfocused eyes for the rest of her life.......Either way, it would be a fate far too cruel."

Rika: "......Are you saying it's much better to tranquilize her whole body and then kill her while she's asleep then?"
Irie: "..............................."

Rika: "......Irie, it's just like Takano says all the time, medical science isn't 100%. But if we leave Satoko like this, the fate that awaits her can only be 100% death. If so, it should be clear which side we have to bet on."
Irie: "......You're right. It's just as you said."

But, as the clinic head, I understand better than anyone else.
The experimental medication C103 that's in development right now is at a stage where we're not even sure if it can be used.
There's no doubt that it's success rate, if expressed in percentages, would not even amount to one.

On top of that, I can't even imagine what kind of tragic end there might be if the test drug doesn't fit the body.

That's why.........I get tempted into thinking that maybe it would be far more merciful to give her as much of her favorites as she wants... and then after watching her fall into a gentle sleep, dissect her while she's in her dreams....

......It's shameful, but Takano-san is right.

I'm still stuck at halfway, can't come to a resolution even know.
...Just how much effect would something created by someone like that have?

......Exactly because it's a drug made by someone like me... I can't believe in a success of even 0.1%....

Rika: "......I think, if it's a drug made by Irie, it can be trusted."

I gasped at the words, as if they saw right through my heart.
Surprised, I raised my lowered head to look at her...... and on her face was a firm look that's almost unimaginable from her age.

Rika: "......Irie is enduring a very harsh job that controls people's life. Originally, it is absurd for a human being to have any say in another person's life and death. The weight of that can only be understood by those who was burdened by it."

Her voice is the same... and yet, for some reason, I feel like I'm being lectured by a Rika-chan that I don't know....
And then, that Rika-chan, sounding as if she already knew perfectly well about the weight of carrying someone's life on your back,

Rika: "......The weight of that is decided by your sense of guilt and the weight of your regret.... That's why Irie can't test a drug that's still dangerous on Satoko. Am I right?"
Irie: "..............................."

I feel like I've been told the same thing by Takano-san in the past too.... Once again, I've been lectured about that....

Rika: "But.......that's exactly why I think I can leave Satoko in your hands."

Irie: "......Eh...?"

Rika: "A person's life is a very heavy thing. To be unable to endure that weight is because you have a heart that places great importance on people's life.......... Without a heart like that, how can you save someone from illness? Do you think I'd try drugs made by someone like Takano, who thinks of people as nothing more than guinea pigs? *giggle giggle*."
Irie: "......Ha...hahahahaha...."
It's not a laughing matter at all, yet I ended up laughing somehow.
......It's because I felt it would be best to laugh there.

Rika: "If both Takano and you offered your own drugs, I think Irie's drug would be the one that works. Because, medicine is something born from one's heart....... As droplets that drip out of your own body, the feeling of wanting to save people will cure their illnesses."

Irie: "......That is exactly right.......For a doctor to be taught a lesson about medicine...."

Rika: "I gave out my own body only for Satoko's sake. Everything that was pulled out of my body with a needle are the droplets of medicine I have to offer to Satoko. If you extracted something while learning of the true weight of life from those droplets, without forgetting regret and remorse....... Then there's no reason they won't work on Satoko."

......Do shrine mikos listen to people's troubles and repentances too?
If so, then at this age, she already makes a wonderful miko of the Furude shrine.

Irie: "............This...will be a gamble.......I don't know whether Satoko-chan will accept it in the end or not...."

Rika: "There's no need to tell Satoko about it. Because for Satoko, knowing about the Hinamizawa Syndrome will do nothing other than gouge at the deep wounds of her heart once again."

The meaning of her words here.
......I will notice it afterwards, and become shocked once again at her prudence and insight.

Irie: "............Let us call off the dissection plan. We will shift to the C103 administration test for Houjou Satoko.......I will do my best, to raise that probability of things going well, even if it's only by 1%."

Rika: "......Don't worry, Irie. It will definitely go well."
Irie: "Hahahahaha.... No, we mustn't be that optimistic."
Rika: "......It's alright. Because it has already been decided."
"This is... a reliable message from Furude shrine's miko-sama."

[Refusal of Houjou Satoshi's visit is required]
[Houjou Satoshi's sense of duty as a brother is required]

Spoiler:

The dissection plan against Satoko-chan has been halted, and we are shifting to put into action an administration test plan of a totally unsafe test drug, C103.
The purpose of this test drug is to suppress the production of certain hormones in the body, which will block transmissions from the Hinamizawa Syndrome that could lead Satoko-chan to derangement.

We know how the Hinamizawa Syndrome works. The pathogen takes over the frontal lobe of the patient, inducing a condition that causes them to become extra sensitive to paranoid doubts, and as a result, the patient will "voluntarily" carry out excessive defensive behaviours (problematic behaviours).
If we can cut off that inducement, then it will be possible to save terminal stage patients from derangement.

However, just stopping the inducement is not enough to be an actual cure.
...It's ironic, but the brain is an organ that learns.

Once the brain has learned to be excessively paranoid from the Hinamizawa Syndrome, even if the pathogens were to be completely removed, the brain will have already learned to not resist against paranoia.

In other words, even without the pathogen inducing the derangement, the patients will send their own emotions in that direction out of their own will.
......Therefore, there's probably no way to cleanly escape from a near-mad condition like L5.

(The proverb "blowing the sashimi after being burned by the hot soup" refers to these kind of situations a lot. It refers to the fixed "fear" of being burned by food again, even after your tongue's burn has already healed. In a good way, this is called "learning", in a bad way, it's called "trauma")

I can imagine that this treatment will probably take a long time, requiring both medicinal treatments such as prescriptions of antidepressants, as well as mental care counsellings.

While suppressing Hinamizawa Syndrome's derangement inducement, slowly relax the paranoia of a heart that's frozen an inch from madness....
This was my prospect of the treatment plan for terminal stage patients like Satoko-chan.

But still, parts of her brain that controls her emotions are going to be faced with stimulation from both the pathogen and us.
Unexpected side effects can be expected....... The key to success lies in her physical and mental toughness.

The experiment was meant to begin after we have carefully reviewed the stableness of her heart and the recovery of her physical stamina....

Among all of this, someone who threatens to disturb that stableness of hers has been coming to my place days after days.
...It's the sly old detective from the Okinomiya station, Oishi.

He considers everything from the dam war to the dismemberment murder of the construction site manager last year to be an organized crime secretly conducted by the village's gosanke. And he believes the falling accident of Satoko-chan's parents, which is being referred to as this year's curse, might be related somehow. So he's persistently clinging onto the central character of all this, Satoko-chan....

Irie: "...No matter how many times you visit us, I cannot grant you permission to meet with Satoko-chan. She has been crippled by the shock of her parent's death, remember? Is it not possible for you understand that?"

Oishi: "No, no, I'm really only asking to talk to her for just a bit. I don't plan to take very long....... If you want me to get a warrant, that can be done too, but if that happens, things will get quite serious, you know? I'm being attentive of Houjou-san's health as well, that's why I haven't done something as inconsiderate as getting a warrant, now have I?"

Irie: "Just what exactly is it that you want to ask Satoko-chan, so much that you're willing to go as far as getting a warrant for it? I haven't got the slightest clue here."
Oishi: ".........Hmm~~, well, actually, there is a possibility that the falling this time could actually be an incident, not an accident."

Irie: "I know of the talks about the Houjou couple being hated by the villagers ever since the dam war. However, isn't it a little too absurd to think someone would actually chase them all the way out to their vacation spot and push them off a cliff?"

Oishi: "Hmm~~~ Well, we can call it an accident too, you know? But in that case, then there are some lies that we just can't understand. And the more we think "why are these lies needed?", the more it doesn't look like an accident to us."

Irie: "...What do you mean by lies?"

Oishi: "Well, you see, it's about Houjou Satoko-san saying she was sleeping in the car when the accident occurred.... I'm just thinking that's a little weird."

Satoko-chan has stated since the beginning that she was sleeping in the back seat of the car when the falling accident occurred.
Because of that, it appears that she didn't even go to the viewing platform at the accident scene.

When she woke up, her parents were already nowhere to be seen, and she was left in distress... after that, she realized that her parents have fallen off the cliff.

Irie: "Where is the lie in that? You're not trying to say that Satoko-chan was actually awake and went to the viewing platform together with her parents, are you?"
Oishi: "That's right. Houjou Satoko-san was not sleeping at all. She left the car together with her parents, and went to the viewing platform."

............At this moment, I was hit by an image of a worst possible scenario.

If what Oishi is saying is true, and Satoko-chan actually lied by saying she didn't go to the viewing platform, even though she did....then a terrifying imagination will come into shape.

Irie: "I, I don't know what proof you have to be saying such a thing. Besides, why is there a need for Satoko-chan to lie?"
Oishi: "That's just it. Why must Houjou Satoko-san lie? If we can't learn the truth behind that... then we won't be able to write this off as just a falling accident."

Irie: "What is it that makes you think Satoko-chan is lying?"

Oishi: "......Since the accident this time took place in a different jurisdiction, the Shirakawa station people interviewed the parties involved, you see. And after reading through their report, there are some parts that just bothers me."
Irie: "Parts that bother you... what are they?"

Oishi: "According to Houjou Satoko-san's statement, she was invited by her parents to go to the viewing platform together, but since she was sleepy, she refused and remained in the car. Then she fell asleep immediately after that, before waking up after a considerable amount of time has passed. And then, she began feeling insecure as her parents never returned, so she cried out loud. A patrolling park worker heard the cry and talked her, and that's how the accident was discovered.

During that time, according to the park worker's statement, it was she who said her parents have fallen off the cliff. However, at the time, the accident site in question should be quite difficult to see from where the Houjou couple had parked their car. Well, no, if you looked carefully, you might be able to notice that the fence has been broken.

But you know? If you woke up and realized your parents aren't around, I don't think it would be usual for you to immediately say that they have fallen off a cliff. Normally, most people would probably say their parents left for a walk and didn't come back. To suddenly tell a third party that your parents have fallen off a cliff even though you were not at the site of the fall yourself, that's just hard for me to accept!... I wanted to know why she was certain that her parents have fallen, and how she came to believe in that, and that is why I have been making these frequent visits. Before her admittance here, I have approached her several times as well. But it was always "I don't remember" or "I was confused at the time", well, it's almost like the answers of some politician. I was just thinking that it might be valuable to have a good talk with her."

At this point... the terrifying imagination in my head has become solid.

I have always vaguely thought that the trigger of her terminal symptom outbreak was the shock from her parents' accident.

...But that's wrong.
.........Satoko-chan was already in the terminal condition, and has been filled with enough paranoia to drive her mind crazy before the accident occurred.

They say that she had a bad relationship with her step-father, who's not related to her by blood, and that she was quite stressed by it.

They also said that she was even scolded by her mother for not being able to open up to her step-father.

......If she was to become paranoid here and misunderstood her parents, thinking that maybe they consider her to be a bother and is trying to kill her, then....

Then, when she was taken to the viewing platform, she must be thinking that they were going to push her off and pretend it was an accident.
So...... the tragedy that she considered to be self-defense ended up making her parents fall to the bottom of the cliff....

It is because I am the one who knows the most about the Hinamizawa Syndrome... that I am confident.

This falling accident was not an "accident".
...And it's also not an "incident", like the kind Oishi is looking for.

All we have here was...... simply a sad "tragedy".

After asking Satoshi-kun afterwards about the family, my belief was deepened even more.

Because I got to hear that although Satoko-chan didn't try to open up her heart, the step-father, while inexperienced, did try his best to communicate with Satoko-chan.

It's true that their relationship didn't go well in the beginning.
Satoko-chan caused troubles time and again, even developing into a situation where she made a fake call to the city's abuse SOS line.

At this level, they received instructions from the child consultation center, and the lack of communication between the step-father and the daughter was pointed out as the problem.

And then, the step-father received instructions from the child support worker, and participated in the city's childcare curriculum, and as inexperienced as he was, he tried his best at communicating.

Satoshi-kun knew that well, and tried to make Satoko-chan, who still won't open up even then, aware of it too.

And yet, Satoko-chan was not able to notice those efforts.
The extreme stress called for the terminal symptoms......... and she was not able to understand her step-father's remorse and effort.

...No, on the contrary, there's no doubt her step-father's change in attitude had actually created even more mistrust in her.......

And the result...... To enjoy the beautiful sceneries of the Shirakawa Nature Park from the viewing platform as a family, and to share that joy...... even such a humble wish, normal for any family to have...... did not get through to Satoko-chan....

.........What a heartbreaking encounter it must've been.......

The daughter who stayed in the car to sleep in grudge has gotten out of bed slowly, and is tip-toeing this way.
The step-father must've heard that too.
...Thinking she was probably trying to scare them with a "boo!"... They pretended to not notice her.

.........Thinking about what the step-father must've been thinking at the time, it makes your heart ache.
......While he thought that his heart has finally gotten though......the opponent was actually attacking him with an intent to kill, that's why.

On top of that, it's not caused by Satoko-chan's own personality.
It's the fault of the sickness that Satoko-san carried.
Not only is Satoko-chan worthy of pity... the parents who were pushed off were also far too much of a pity as well.......

On top of all that, she is being doubted by Oishi as the criminal for the pushing.

......Judgement and punishment is required for crimes with a malicious intent.
...But... what she requires are pity and understanding.
......And no one except me, who knows of the Hinamizawa Syndrome, will be able to have that understanding....

Although I am the head of the Irie Institution, I have never acted that way or used that authority before.
But for the first time since I took up the position of being the head of this place, I am using it.

Not as the head of the secret research institution, Irie Institution.
......But something I believe to be necessary as a doctor, in order to protect Satoko-chan.

Irie: "About the Shirakawa Nature Park falling accident of Satoko-chan's parents...... Can I get you to ask Yamainu's Okonogi-san to put an end to it as an accident?"

Takano: "Yes, that's not a problem at all. Yamainu is a team that's the most specialized in concealment or manipulation of those kind of things, after all.... You're right, if we don't quickly put an end to that falling accident as an accident, the police will be a bother trying to get close to our experiment specimen."

Irie: "......That's right. In particular, make sure that Oishi-san is drawn away from this case as soon as possible, please....... We're at a delicate stage of the drug administration test, it would not be appropriate to create any unnecessary stress for her."
Takano: "Exactly. I will be sure to let Yamainu know. Since they have connections in the police as well, let's tell them to apply some pressures there. I think the Shirakawa Falling Accident will be confirmed as an accident in a few days."

Confirmed, as an accident.

......Ahh, if only it really was an accident, it would've still offered some ease to Satoko-chan's heart ....

Even if the pathogen is eliminated, the wounded heart will not heal.
...And neither will the sad tragedy that has already occurred.

All I can do...... is to do my best... so the day where she regains her smile would come sooner, even if only by a day....

[The halt in the Houjou Satoko dissection plan is required]
[Irie Kyousuke's motive to become a doctor is required]

Spoiler:

The test drug administration experiment for Houjou Satoko is proceeding smoothly.
Personally, I wouldn't have cared even if the experiment failed right away.

But, as a result of Irie putting an abnormal level of concentration into the experiment, Houjou Satoko has avoided falling into a deranged or vegatative state...... and has actually begun to show possibilities of returning to a normal social life even while in L5.

Although there are still many areas of the C103 that requires further examination, by adjusting the administration amount while paying close attention to the specimen's physical conditions, it has achieved the great feat of allowing even those with L5 to survive.

...Regarding to this, although half-teasingly, I must recommend his efforts.

No, maybe because it's Irie, that's why.
Tormented by some naive humanism, and even now, he still resists dirtying his hands, that's probably what linked him to the sense of duty of wanting to save Houjou Satoko from a dying fate.

What I don't like about Irie is not his accomplishments or capabilities, but his naiveness and inability to act without emotions.
......For that reason, I had to praise him for the first time ever.

Takano: "I had a chance to look through administrator Irie's report.... I must say, my hat is off to you."

Irie: "No. I'm simply fulfilling my duties as a researcher.... If the results also fulfilled my job as a dcotor, then there is nothing better I could've asked for."
Takano: "Right now, it's probably not an exaggeration to say that Satoko-chan is a very very important specimen to us, don't you think? After all, she's the first person to have survived even after reaching L5."

Irie: "...That's right. We will return her to regular social life, and switch to long-term observations to watch her throughout that process. I am planning to get her to come back here again every Sunday to receive examinations."
Takano: "But how will you explain to her the need to take 3 injections of C103 a day, and the need to come here every Sunday for examinations? She has no self-awareness to her sickness at all, right?"

Irie: "...About that, I'm thinking up a believable explanation right now....... For now, what I'm thinking of is to ask her to help out with my research article. She receives nutrient injections everyday, and comes here every Sunday to examine the effect. In exchange, I will pay her some money as payment for cooperating in the research. That's the idea."

......Looks like Irie is insistent on completely curing Houjou Satoko
...It looks like he's insistent on keeping her from being placed on top of the dissection table.

Although our positions are different, no matter how naive his thoughts are, as long as it connects directly to a passion for the research, I have no complaints.
If his plan is to be executed, we'll probably get a different result than a dissection, and it'll still be useful in uncovering the full picture of the Hinamizawa Syndrome.

It's not that I hate Houjou Satoko.
It's just that, for the sake of the research, I'm willing to eat anything that I can get my hands on, that's all.
If Houjou Satoko can be useful in ways other than dissection, then I'm perfectly fine with that.

Irie: "With 3 injections needed a day, we'll have to get consent not only from herself, but her guardians as well. If I remember right, since her parents passed away, her guardianship was moved over to her uncle's family, wasn't it? I'm thinking about discussing this with them when I have a chance. I hope they're willing to allow their niece to participate in some weird experiment though...."
Takano: "*giggle*, don't worry. That's what research cooperation payments are for. All we have to do is toss 100 or 200 thousands at them every month, and they'll be dancing for us."

Irie: "Do we have the funds for that?
Takano: "Of course. As long as we make up files that Jirou-san can be satisified with."
Irie: "Understood. I'll make them up. Also, we need to instruct them to not put any stress on Satoko-chan. It'll be hectic if her L5 resurfaces again, after all....... I hear from rumors that her uncle and aunt are very self-interested people. It might be possible to coax them with money. I'm planning to give them the instructions on those as well."

I have heard rumors saying that Satoko-chan's relationship with her uncle and aunt, her new parents, has not been a good one.
But I figured it has nothing to do with us. I didn't expect Irie to get this involved so enthusiastically.

Maybe something caused him awaken to a sense of duty of wanting to become her protector or something.
I don't mind that either. If a sense of duty burns within him, then the research advances further. And that's a big help for me.

Irie: "......Aside from that.... I have looked through your report on the H170 series."

Takano: "Yes. Although it's nothing compared to administrator Irie's accomplishments, I was able to get my research results, for the time being."
Irie: "...It really is ironic, isn't it? In this research lab, a treatment medication that will save her from madness is being made, yet right alongside it, we're making a dangerous drug that can drive her crazy right away."

Irie is not involved with the H170.
I led the research on it.... Well, even if I told him to get involved, he probably still wouldn't have.

This dangerous test drug was created during the process of understanding the mechanism of just how the pathogen that controls Houjou Satoko's brain was able to create paranoia and derangement in its host.

To put it in plain words, by administering H170 to those who are infected with the Hinamizawa Syndrome, we can forcibly cause the terminal symptoms to occur in them.
By sending the brain into a pseudo-excited state, we're basically making the pathogen unstable on purpose.

If the research on this dangerous test drug can advance further, it will probably become possible for us to send regular infected individuals into the terminal stage any time we like.

Since understanding the mechanism of the terminal symptoms is linked to understaning the Hinamizawa Syndrome, there's no doubt that this H170 will become a very strong ally in the smooth advances of this research in the future.

Also, this medicine might carry the potential for military-use that our clients are looking for as well.

Although there's still almost no use for it at this point, if our research continues, we might be able achieve certain actions by spreading harmless pathogens into a target population, and then distributing the H170 at a certain timing.

Although it's a slow and stupid pathogen compared to killer viruses, the fact that it is impossible to detect from dead bodies, and how victims appear to have become deranged voluntarily, means there's must be some use for it.

The culprit that once tried to shut down the research of the Hinamizawa Syndrome, Marco Polo Bridge Incident. (Note: It was explained in the main Higurashi story that the event was actually caused by Japanese soldiers from Hinamizawa)
......Important historical landmark events such as that cannot be created by something as clumsy as killer viruses.

...But with Hinamizawa Syndrome, it's possible....

......For these kind of things, I'll just let those old men from our Alphabet Project sponsor think what they want.
Practical usages doesn't concern me at all.

My objective is to uncover the mystery behind the Hinamizawa Syndrome, and to prove to people just how important this research is.
Also, to make people recognize grandfather's work as a great achievement.
...Military use is simply a side-product of that process, and doesn't concern me whatsoever.

Irie: "For our clients, they'll probably be more glad to see Takano-san's accomplishments. Maybe we'll have an easier time at getting funds for the next term."
Takano: "*giggle*. You can't maintain a research with only passion, after all. Something concrete is needed first."

Irie: "......We really can't raise our heads against these sponsors who has provided us with such extravagant funds....... And to think that all of these money came from public fundings.... Perhaps Japan is a far wealthier country than I had imagined."
Takano: "Even though it's called public funding, they're probably dark fundings that's never made public though. *giggle*...."

Irie has no idea just how much hardship I had to go through... to gain the connections needed for this.

......Anyway, the research is going very well.
What is Hinamizawa Syndrome trying to show us humans?
There's no doubt it'll be showing us yet-unseen secrets, my heart dances in intellectual excitement.

The Hinamizawa Syndrome has shown us the possibility that humans are nothing more than empty containers, and the things that we believe to be our own consciousness are actually something that came from special parasites that live in our frontal lobes.

If I can successfully unveil that......... Human beings will probably be impacted by it more than any other mysteries that have ever been solved in the past.

The truth, that everybody would want to ridicule.
The great achievement, of grandfather who was already able to foresee it back in that age.

Ahh, I can understand it clearly now.
Why this research was able to fascinate grandfather that much.

[The research results of C103 and H170 are required]
[The truth behind the Shirakawa Park Falling Accident is required]

Spoiler:

Rika has developed a high fever. And quite a serious one at that.

We're not in season for contagious diseases like influenza either.
...Immediately, I remembered the suspicious experiment that Rika accepted recently. That might have been the cause.

Compared to other children her age, Rika's growth is a little bit slower.
I bet it's because her body is exhausted after having suspicious injections and experiments performed on it every week.

I told them to go easy on her, but Rika herself is practically fearless, and ends up agreeing to anything.
Even my husband, who should be warning her about that, blindly believes this whole thing is a big deal involving more than two thousand villagers, and brings his own daughter to the clinic every week.

...I'm the only one who's actually concerned for Rika's body.
That's why, towards Irie-sensei, I wanted to complain and ask them to be a little more considerate for Rika.

In any case, I'm going to make them come clean on how to take responsibility for this.

As soon as I phoned them, someone from the clinic came in a car, and quickly admitted Rika into the clinic.
I followed as well, as her guardian.

*Entering the clinic*

Irie: "Please calm down, Mrs. Furude. I promise you we'll take care of her, so please wait for just a while longer."

Rika's Mom: "How can I calm down like this!? Don't you think it's strange for her to suddenly develop such a high fever...!!? Isn't this the effect of that suspicious whatyoumacallit experiment you people did last week?! Rika is just a little young girl, you know?! Rika loves her friends, that's why she's doing this for her ill friend-"

Irie: "I am aware of that.... Plus, we would never try to cause any harm to Rika-san for our research, and we are always mindful so such a thing would never happen."
Rika's Mom: "Then what do you call this high fever!?"
Irie: "Most likely because the season's changing-"

Rika's Mom: "You're not telling me it's a cold are you?! It's obvious that it's caused by those strange drugs you people injected her with!!"
It looked like Irie-sensei would only insist on calming me down, and refuses to admit that Rika's fever is caused by an error on their part.

...My husband told me that this is a big issue for the village, so I have held back the suspicion in my heart until this day, but to be honest, I'm at my limits.

Besides, the existence of these people has been far too suspicious to begin with.

A research conducted in secrecy, stating it's for privacy protection or whatnot.
...That's already a perfectly questionable point too. Something like that is not possible.

In fact, I tried calling the Health Ministry to ask, and they told me right away that such a thing does not exist. Even after I stated myself to be Furude Rika's mother.

These people would try to make up excuses by saying that since they're a special institution, it's possible that normal workers are unaware of their existence. But....
That's definitely odd. Suspicious.

Also, there are people inside the research lab who are clearly not researchers.
......They looked like security guards at first, but compared to the kinds you'd find in a normal hospital, these people feel way too different.

I have seen it by accident before. How they're actually armed with handguns.

Irie: "......well, about that......."

Rika's Mom: "Are those people police officers? They sure don't look that way to me! Besides, just who are you people anyway!? Even if you say the Health Ministry now, I won't believe you!"
It looks like Irie-sensei has been taken aback from my intensity, and can't even respond properly anymore.

These people are still hiding something from us.
And it's proving that the research surrounding Rika is something dishonest.

Rika's Mom: "Anyway, I'm Rika's guardian! And Rika is still only a child. No matter what that child says, from now on, I will not allow her to participate in this research anymore!"
Takano: "...Oh my. If it isn't Rika-chan's mother. Good afternoon to you................ my, what is the matter?"

Irie: "No, ...um.... Mrs. Furude is saying that she doesn't want Rika-chan to be involved with the institution anymore...."
Takano: "......May I ask why?"
Rika's Mom: "Because my child is not your test animal, that's why!!"
Takano: "............We have never treated her that way though? This is a big misunderstanding."

I'm a little startled.
...Irie-sensei was a wimpy kind of person who would back off when pushed.

But this Takano-san......Even though I'm the one doing the yelling, it's almost as if she's not afraid at all.
No, on the contrary, it almost looked like her eyes are glaring, as if she's about to pounce on me....

Takano: "Rika-chan's fever is caused by a cold. It's not our fault at all. We pay the same level of attention to safety and sanitation as a national research lab. Forgive me for being rude, but compared to you, who walks aound with Rika in your hands without even disinfecting them with alcohol first, we're the sanitary one, you know?"
Rika's Mom: ".........I, I didn't ask you about that!! Anyway, Rika is not your toy!! We won't bring Rika here ever again!"

Takano: "It sure is troubling if everything gets decided on your whim. When we requested for her cooperation, was it not true that her parents have given their signatures on the contract? And in return for her cooperation in the research, we have deposited money that's by no means a small amount into your account every month."
Rika's Mom: "I... I don't know anything about that money, alright?! I have never even heard of it!!"
Our family receiving money for Rika's cooperation in the research was news to me.

...Considering the kind of person my husband is, there's no way he would've used them as spending money behind my back.
Most likely, he thought of this as a free service for the villagers, and has no doubt completely forgotten about the money being deposited into our account.

......Since there hasn't been any unusual deposits in our regular account... it might be in our savings account....

...Anyway, anyway, I don't care about that!

Takano: "You do realize that when the contract has been breached, we will be asking for you to return the full amount of deposits that we have made up to that point, right? And also, in the case where one party is at fault for the breach of contract-"

Irie: "Takano-san...! Please calm down. Mrs. Furude too, please.... Just like we have explained to you before, Hinamizawa Syndrome is something that must be treated in order for the villagers to be able to continue living their lives without worries. In order to achieve that, we must have Rika-san's cooperation...!"

Rika's Mom: "Then just when will that treatment drug be finished?! First of all, does this even make sense!? You say it's for the sake of Rika's friend, Satoko-chan, but isn't it true that Satoko-chan has already left the hospital and is carrying on with her life happily? If I remember right, when I talked to my husband 2 weeks ago, he said you have already found a way to a treatment, isn't that right?!"

Irie: "Y, yes. I believe I did say that we have found a way.... However, in order to uncover the full story behind the Hinamizawa Syndrome...-"

Rika's Mom: "I never heard of anything about uncovering it's full story! What Rika agreed to help out with was for the treatment of the villagers' illnesses. Then isn't this enough already!? All these strange experiments and examinations that everyone's doing on Rika is done purely out of your own interests, and has nothing to do with the treatment, am I right?!"

Irie: "That's not true, that's not true at all...! In any case, the issue about Rika-san's cold is a misunderstanding. If it still appears suspicious to you no matter what-"

Rika's Mom: "That's enough! It seems like there's money involved in this too, so I'll be going home to discuss to my husband about it as well! If you'll excuse me now!!"

*Rika's mom leaves the clinic*

...First of all, these people were shady to begin with.

Although the two others in our family has completely fallen to their side after being told some exaggerated story, it's not going to work on me.
In any case, I must settle things here once and for all. Rika is not those people's toy.

...I particularly dislike that Takano person.
......Irie-sensei still felt like a doctor, but there's no such feeling for that person.

......How should I describe it.
......Right, I suppose you could say that the glows of her eyes are unpleasant....
She sees Rika as nothing but a test animal. I could feel that cruelness with my skin.

And neither my husband nor Rika has noticed that at all.
I must protect her. As her mother, I must protect Rika...!

*Scene shifts back inside the clinic*

Irie: "...That's not like you, Takano-san. If you get into an argument with her there, you know it would just makes things even worse....... It's not like you at all."
Takano: ".........You're right. I'm sorry for getting flustered."
Did something happen that caused her to be in such a bad mood?
The conversation just now was emotional, very much unlike Takano-san.

(Note: Hifumiyo is written in Japanese as 一二三四, which is a count of numbers. "Hi" means one, "fu" means two, "mi" means three, "yo" means four)
--------------------------

Takano-san has gone out with me on photo shoots everytime I came here.
She has discovered her own fun with cameras, and I'm happy to gain a friend who shares my hobby as well.

However, there was actually something else that's she's much more interested in.... and that is looking up the old history of Hinamizawa.

She pays frequent visits to local libraries and archives to sift through various literatures, and apparantly has become quite a knowledgable historian of the local area, particularly Hinamizawa.

When she's in a good mood, she would grab me and tell me stories about how Hinamizawa is used to be called Onigafuchi village, and how the villagers have performed various cruel ceremonies based on the belief of Oyashirosama.

It appears that she loves touchy stories like these, and that has given her an even more mysterious attractiveness.

...Unfortunately, I'm the kind that's not very comfortable with grotesque stories, so it's hard just to respond to her.
The stories of cruel ceremonies that has excited her so much, to be honest, I didn't really get them all that well.

Even then, I liked her shining eyes whenever she tells me these stories, and I don't dislike the time spent with her on these things either.

Tomitake: "Takano-san sure loves looking up these kind of things...!"
Takano: "My, it's because they're fun, you know? Don't you think it's a very exciting thing to unravel a hidden dark past that has been sealed away?"
Looking at Takano-san saying that with a smiling face, even a hidden dark past ends up sounding like something very fun.

...But of course, that's not true.
The dark past of Hinamizawa that she loves reading about is filled with various cruelties and atrocities that would remind one of witch hunts in the middle ages.

Takano: "Besides, they're very useful for the research on Hinamizawa Syndrome, you know? You don't have to always peek through microscopes to research things. The traditions of this village that has spent a long time together with this parasite could teach us something far more valuable, after all."
Tomitake: "You have a point.... Yeah, Takano-san sure is a passionate researcher."

Takano: "*giggle* Because, researching is my lifework. Don't you think it's a very fun thing to step into an unknown mystery and exposing a secret that nobody knew about? It tickles your intellectual curiosity. I think that's probably the greatest entertainment available only to us humans, who can feel joy from thinking. The first person who worked on this research, Takano-sensei, must've discovered something that fascinated him enough to make him devote his entire life to the research of Hinamizawa Syndrome as well....... I think, I'm the only one who understands that Takano-sensei's feeling....... Since Jirou-san is not a researcher, I wonder if that's too hard to understand for you? *giggle giggle*"

She has always been enthusiastic whenever she talks about the late Takano, an independent researcher who was the first person to notice the existence of Hinamizawa Syndrome.
I think that perhaps there's something here more than just admiration as a researcher.

...Now that you mention it, I noticed this.

If I remember right, Takano-sensei's full name is Takano Hifumi (高野一二三).
...And Takano-san is Takano Miyo (鷹野三四).

Both of them are Takanos, with 123 and 34....I felt like there's an amazing connection between them.

Although I don't know everything about Takano-san either, chances are her last name of Takano (鷹野) is a fake one.
......If that's the case, then it's possible she gave herself a first name that connected her to her admired researcher.

Tomitake: "I see....... Could this be the reason why Takano-san has Miyo as a name?"
Takano: "......Eh?"

Tomitake: "Well, I believe the name of the doctor that Takano-san admires is Takano Hifumi. And Takano-san's name is Miyo.... To continue on after 123, as 34. I just thought that maybe you have that name because you're continuing the research that he wasn't able to complete."
Takano: "..........................Where did you hear that from?"

Tomitake: "...Eh? No, ahahahaha, it's just something I made up just now.... Nobody really said anything like that-"
Takano: "*giggle*....... That's correct. For a slow person like Jirou-san, well done."

Tomitake: "Well, I knew that Takano-san admired Takano-sensei a lot, and sometimes you spoke as if you were his daughter or granddaughter who inherited his research legitimately. So it just felt like that to me, that's all....... Even book authors, you know, like Edogawa Ranpo, have pen names named as a homage to authors they admired as well. So I just though that maybe Takano Miyo is a like a pen name too."

Takano: "That's not true. Takano Miyo is my real name....... Although the taka in Takano shouldn't be the bird's taka (鷹 means falcon), but high and low's taka (高 means high)."
Tomitake: "Eh? Then, you really have the same last name as Takano-sensei? That's even more surprising then...! And to have Miyo (三四) as a real name.... Succeeding the research of Takano Hifumi (高野一二三) is Takano Miyo (高野三四).... It feels like a fateful coincidence...!"
Takano: "*giggle* Now there, Jirou-san, you're overstating things. It's not fate or anything. Because, he's my grandfather."

Tomitake: "................EH?!"

This is news to me.
The original story was that Takano-san discovered the documents about the Hinamizawa Syndrome left behind by Takano-sensei after his death, and decided to continue his research.

Takano-sensei and her were supposed to be strangers to each other, I have never heard of them being related to each other by blood.

Takano: "I changed the word taka in my name because someone told me it would leave a bad impression if I just asked for funds to continue my grandfather's research, since it would look like I'm trying to pull funds to help out a family matter. That's why I never told anyone that Takano-sensei is my grandfather....... other than Koizumi-ojiichan, Jirou-san would be the first person I told this to."

Tomitake: "............Is......is that's so..........I see. I can understand a little better now why you showed enough passion for the research of Hinamizawa Syndrome to surprise even Administrator Irie."
I can understand everything clearly now.

......She has succeeded the reseach that her grandfather wasn't able to complete.

Takano: "Grandfather also searched for Hinamizawa Syndrome not only from a medical point of view, but from old documents and literatures as well....... Looking through the literatures of a village that has been living together with Hinamizawa Syndrome for hundreds of years can be far more valuable than peeking through even a microscope with hundred of times of magnification. That's what my grandfather has taught me."

Tomitake: "......I see. If that's the case, then your grandfather must be happy that you're continuing his research so wonderfully like this. He must be very glad to have such an enthusiastic grandchild following after him."
Takano: "*giggle giggle giggle* I hope so too."
Although I said something that would've normally earned me a tease from Takano-san, she didn't tease me, but simply nodded and smiled.

......There's no doubt about it, she really is the granddaughter of Takano-sensei.

Takano: "My grandfather is Hifumi as in 123. I'm Miyo as in 34....... Following after my grandfather, we have only finally counted the 3 together right now. And then, after counting the 4 after my grandfather......... we must reach the 5 that neither me nor my grandfather has seen yet. That is my duty, and the reason why I was born."
Tomitake: "That's why your name is Miyo, isn't it? I think it's a beautiful name."

Takano: "Thank you. Please don't tell anyone about me being his grandchild. I haven't told our clients about this either, I don't want any unnecessary problems from them knowing about this."
Tomitake: "Ahahahaha, yeah. I got it. This will be a secret between me and Takano-san."
Even though it's a small secret, I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of superiority from knowing that only I knew about it.

Takano: "............I have finally only counted the 3. I haven't even gotten to the 4 yet. The path of the research is still long and dangerous, but... I'll make it to the end. I will definitely expose the secret of Hinamizawa Syndrome."
Tomitake: "I'm supporting you too.......... Ahaha, that's supposed to be my job in the first place anyway though."

Takano: "Aw, you would've sounded cool if you didn't say extra things like that. Just saying "I support you" is good enough."
Tomitake: "A, ahahahaha...! I will, I will support you."
Takano: "It's too late to correct it now. You won't sound cool if you can't get it right on the first try. *giggle giggle*"
We laughed together cheerfully.

And after we finished laughing, as if to drive the point home, she became slightly serious, and said,

Takano: "So Jirou-san....... Remember to not tell anyone about me being the granddaughter, alright?"
Tomitake: "I won't. I promise."

Takano: "It's not that nobody must know about it...... It's just that if the clients found out and becomes displeasured by it, we might lose our fundings."
Tomitake: "I don't think that'll happen. I won't tell them to begin with...!"

Takano: "Are you sure? Are you really really sure...? I received my life for the sake of this research. My only duty is to complete my grandfather's research. To prove that the trampled research is something magnificant that will shock the world, and to make everyone praise my grandfather, who's perishing away under the earth... to have him ascend as a god. That is my reason for being alive and my goal............. Jirou-san..... If you were to accidently spill something that would get in the way of that, and create problems for the research...!!"

I became afraid that she would get completely possessed by it, so I swore to the keep the secret first.

I can understand that her intellectual curiosity as a researcher and the feeling of wanting to complete her grandfather's research is stirring her passion for the research of Hinamizawa Syndrome.

......However, it looks like there's one more reason that's stirring her...... but it felt like something far too deep... something lying within a wound in her heart that shouldn't be touched by someone like me.

But still, earlier-

...When she said "cause problems for the research...!!", just what exactly was she going to say after that?
.........For me, I can't help but feel that it would've been something frightening and merciless.

I kept my promise with her... From this day on, we never talked about this topic ever again....

[Pre-requisite: Rika's father must be brandished as a pacifist]
[Pre-requisite: Rika's mother must hold suspicions against the Irie Facility]

Spoiler:

The situation has changed. Rika’s father suddenly reversed his stance in providing assistance to this research. It seems Rika’s mother had enough of the suspicions she held against this facility after Rika’s sudden fever. …I was hoping that the father would somehow be able to persuade and reassure her about this research, but it seems the father was taken in towards her side instead.

Rika’s father didn’t show such an outburst like the mother did, but he did give us a harsh and unrealistic condition to explain them the details of every research and to have us finish every experiment within the next three months.

…Giving us a deadline for research is out of the question. We produce results by sweating and toiling, step by step, for a long time. …To take away time from research is analogous in telling a person, “you can live with water and salt, so why can’t you live with just salt from now on?” What the hell do these dimwits know about research?! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it….!!!

…I can say such vulgarity towards them because they don’t know anything about our research. But the fact remains that they are the parental guardians of the queen carrier. Hence, we were stuck in this situation where we’ve seemed to hit yet another dead end to our plans…

The experiments and tests that we have doing towards the queen was now a vital part of the research for the Hinamizawa Syndrome. Her existence was our compass. To lose her from our research is the same as losing the sense of direction in uncharted waters.

Rika herself is willing to cooperate with our research, but losing parental consent is something than can stall our research into checkmate. …It’s probably best to say that we are stuck in a grave situation…

For the Furudes, all they care is about finding a cure for this disease. …But for me, the cure itself is only a small part of the unknown that needs to be unraveled. I cannot stop here. …Is this the part where our differences caused this predicament? …And what angers me the most is that Irie is also the same as them!!

That man’s flaccid response is that if the Furudes should give up their consent, we should back down from furthering our research via our current methods. …Well that’s obvious. Irie doesn’t have the determination to solve the mysteries of the Hinamizawa Syndrome as I have. He won’t assertively back down from this project, but he’s more than willing to passively do so by jumping on the Furudes’ bandwagon.

…What the heck is the matter with him?! Is that the kind of attitude that is expected of a researcher who is up against one the greatest mysteries mankind will ever know about…?! He is exactly like those men who stepped on my grandfather’s research with their dirty feet!! He’s just a dick who showed interest in this half-heartedly, and became a pussy when he saw blood which caused him to feel guilt for his past actions. He was not even qualified to lay his hands upon such a mystery as big as the Hinamizawa Syndrome. …He’s just a puppet figurehead who was placed above me because of my client’s arrangements. …If I wasn’t female, that man wouldn’t be needed in the first place!!!

Sure, I must give him credit that was able to accomplish finding a cure for this disease. …From Irie’s point of view, he’s perfectly fine with that and he is ready to batten down the hatches. He’s satisfied with just a small feat like that and is willing to throw everything else down the sewer. …You didn’t even have the right to quit my grandfather’s research in the first place…how dare you!! I can feel my anger churning down in my guts…

No, no. Irie’s not the main person at fault here. It’s that bitch, Rika’s mother. If she didn’t started acting like a bitch she was, none of this would’ve started…!!

…Part of the fault may lie within me though. All this time, I’ve built up the social skills and obligations to maintain trust. …But there was just something about her that irritated me, so I didn’t care to socialize with her. …I thought that I was perfectly fine with just Rika and her father.

But the mother began to become a nuisance and started influencing the father’s decisions. …Oh how could I be so careless! The tables have turned! What kind of blunder is this!?

Irie has given me the authority to discuss this turn of events to Tokyo on what to do next. …But it is highly possible that this whole project will be put into hiatus if I inform them about this. This project is being put together because I have been pulling strings with my connections. However, if they hear anything that can hurt their political careers, this whole thing would be gone in a snap of their fingers.

I am this close to showcasing the greatness of my grandfather! Like hell am I going to trip onto something as trivial as this….!!!

…Wait, wait. I still have a little time to think this over. Whenever I get into a jam, I’m usually able to think up of something as I drink my favorite tea and bite on my nails…

I look up into the ceiling and close my eyes. I relax myself. …Reflecting on my past experiences, there were times where I would ask for some advice to someone else, and they managed to figure out a simple solution that I could never think up of. I was able to get overcome such roadblocks that way. That’s how I was able to survive that hellish life in the orphanage. …I’m not going let that bitch’s tantrum get in the way…!!

….C’mon, calm myself. Chill out and think. Get cool, Takano Miyo.

…Perhaps someone that isn’t in my shoes might be able to figure out a different approach to this situation.
But…who? It’s obvious not me, nor Irie. …And I couldn’t possibly discuss this to any of the villagers. …Someone in Tokyo? No, no, that’s not good either. They are the type of guys who expect a return of favor for seeking advice. …Even Mr. Koizumi would probably be disgusted at me for stumbling upon something trivial as this.

…..hey, I got it!! …It was right under my nose! …They are supposed to be my subordinates. What’s stop me from asking advice from them?

I immediately called the leader of the Yamainu (the intel-defense wing of the Irie Facility), Okonogi,

When this project began, the Yamainus were given to me as my subordinates. However, they are SDF, whereas I am a scientist. Since we live in two different worlds, the thought of asking for their assistance had never crossed my mind up to now. He has his job, I have mine. Hence, I never bothered to ask for advice either. But the Yamainu’s primary job was to protect our research and to support our project through various indirect methods. …There was no reason not to ask them for some ideas.

Okonogi: “Oh yeah, what a drag. Heh heh heh.”

Okonogi used to talk in the standard language, but he has assimilated the regional Hinamizawa dialect. It seems to be rule number one in their undercover handbook to “fit in” to the region.

Takano: “So, with her yapping around, not only will they forbid us from obtaining the help of the queen, but there’s also the danger of her exposing this entire project. ….Can the Yamainus figure something out?”

…I threw this at Okonogi half-heartedly as I wasn’t going to expect any good ideas from him with his frank attitude. …But….

Okonogi: “No problem. The Yamainus will eradicate the root of the problem. Just give us time, and we’ll make it happen cleanly.”
Takano: “…Eradicate?”
Okonogi: “Well, we’ve gotta make sure the police don’t get in our way. It’ll take a bit of time, but it ain’t gonna be something we can’t handle.”

I was dumbfounded. …All this time, I was pondering how to persuade the mother… …But the leader of the intel-defense team, whose primary function is to protect the secrecy of this project, was easily able to conjure up a solution befitting their specialized task.

Takano: “….So that means…you are going to…kill her?”
Okonogi: “Wasn’t that the contract that we had when this whole project began? ‘Protection of the secrecy of this entire project by whatever means necessary.’ Of course, we can’t act on our own will, so we need to get approval from you though.”

That’s right. To them, the solution to this problem is simple. Rika’s mother is causing trouble to this project, and not only she is interfering with our research, she might jeopardize the entire research itself by exposing it to the public. Solution? …Eradicate her.

Takano: “…..That….that is great idea…. Can you guys handle it?”
Okonogi: “Hey, that’s what we’re here for. Finally! We haven’t seen such a big job since that kidnapping of the minister’s grandson!”

That’s right. …These are the experts who were able to kidnap the Minister of Construction’s grandson and extorted the halt of the dam construction. It has been several years since that, and I have forgotten what a brilliant job they were able to perform.

That’s right! Why didn’t I think of this before…?! …I have the Yamainus underneath me…!!!

Takano: “…Can this be done immediately?”
Okonogi: “If it’s just killing her, I can do that this evening. But, that’s bound to cause commotion. I highly suggest that we take a little bit of time so we can observe the surroundings and formulate a plan in order to make it seem that she disappeared without a trace.”

Just like a cat’s eyes opening under a bright area, …I felt my own pupils enlarging in surprise. All this time I was having this huge headache like an idiot, pondering how to bring down my enemies or persuading them to my side. All I had to do was just order this man standing in front of me, and all of my problems can be solved…!! The feeling was like being a little bird taking its first flight….

…Oh, what a great feeling this is! I can have that hysterical and nuisance mother of Rika’s disappear without a trace by just giving an order!! This is all thanks to Mr. Koizumi. …Ah, what a wonderful present and power he has given me…!!

I was told from the beginning that all humans are created equal. But, having the power to decide one’s death or to spare their lives is…indeed a sign that I am above being just a petty human. …The sensation of knowing that I was above the human hierarchy rushes through me…

Did he just say Furude Rika’s mother only? …I was jolted by yet another adrenaline rush. If it’s possible to eradicate others at the same time…perhaps it might be a good idea to get rid of bothersome father as well… Rika herself has been supportive from the start. And the Furude family has no relatives. If both of her parents die, she’ll need to be supported by someone else. …The Irie Facility has more than enough resources to support her financially. Furthermore, it might be even possible to bring Rika to our side than just being a supporter…

All my problems are instantly melting away like ice… All the things that I was worried about are becoming like a joke…. All this time, I had subordinates who had all this power, yet I was blind to utilize their usefulness…. Gradually, I began to relax. I started to feel the calmness that I usually am coming back.

….Yeah, let’s eradicate both of Rika’s parents. …The queen is my guinea pig. And a guinea pig does not need a guardian to look over it.

Hey, wait a minute….it’s almost the Watanagashi Festival…

Wouldn’t it be possible…to have the people believe that it was the Oyashiro-sama’s Curse if they were to die on that day…? …That dismemberment murder two years ago and that accidental fall last year was also rumored by the community of being a curse because they coincidentally occurred during Watanagashi. …Then if their deaths also occur at this year’s Watanagashi, then it is surely lay the grounds of being the Oyashiro-sama’s Curse for three years in a row.

The miracle of the Oyashiro-sama, and its curse. …I get to build that… It’s the chance that I’ve been waiting for all my life – the first step into the realm of the gods who get to play with human fate like rolling a dice.

The two incidents that occurred two years in a row are rumored to be a curse. However, not everyone believes in it. But if it were to happen for three years in a row, no one will doubt it as being a curse. …From then on, everyone will say that it was a curse for something that I pulled strings on. It’s like saying that I myself am the Oyashiro-sama. The revenge that I vowed against god is slowly coming into place…

Takano: “…Don’t you think having them disappear itself to be rather boring?”

I began to chuckle in my usual tone. Okonogi seemed to have caught my drift as he began to smirk.

I’m not going to kill her; that's just a waste. I’m going to cut up that hysterical bitch alive just for the heck of it. Of course, it’s not going to be just for fun. Her analysis is going to very important for our research. Why? Because she’s the former queen, that’s why…!!!

The First Year, the workers were stirred in a frenzy, dismembering and killing the old man; the Second Year, by some method, Mr. and Mrs. Hojou were killed through a faked accident.

…During the Dam War, only the people who were hated as the village’s sworn enemies died on the night of Watanagashi Festival which had deep meaning to the residents of Hinamizawa.

Among the village that a portion of citizens called this “Oyashiro-sama’s Curse,” of course, came to my ears.

When the Dam War ended, for their war criminals to be killed on the night of the Festival must have held some meaning. …That is what I believe.

Then, there must be still war criminals from the Dam War.
……Perhaps that will happen again on the night of the Third Year’s Festival. ……That hunch was right.

When the Festival near its end, the village board officials all crowded around the Headquarters tent.
Then crack crack the beers were opened, and the left over corn and motsu nikomi from refreshment stands were use to uplift the atmosphere.

At that time, I was also welcomed by the hospitality of the village board and was at the Headquarters tent.
……That’s why, at the very start of the Third Year’s incident, I should have been present to witness it.
…even so, I wasn’t able to see the start of the incident…

“Huh, Furude-san, what’s the matter? Are you not feeling well?”
All the village seniors were heavy drinkers, but there were a few exceptions. The Priest was one of them.

During the Watanagashi Festival, the Priest is not only the representative but also the takes the role of the Host.

As visitors and guests came, he greeted them, and each time he was offered a drink, so it wasn’t difficult to imagine that by the night’s end he would be beat.

That’s why, when the Priest removed himself from the clatter and sat down drooping over the piped chair, I did not think anything of it.

It was the Village Chief Kimiyoshi who tapped the shoulder of that Priest asking if he was all right.

“…Are you all right? Ah hahahahaha, You’ve probably drank too much! What, you have chest pains?”
“……mmmm… I’m sorry, it seems I a bit tired.”
“Wait, you had a bad heart? It’s not a good sign that it started to hurt so suddenly! Dr. Irie! Doctor!”

“What is the matter? ……Is it your chest? That is not good…”
“…mmmmmmm……, ……uuuu.”

Now that I see him, the Priest was covered in terrible sweat; he was definitely not relaxing in his chair refreshing in the evening’s cool.
……The color in his face was horrible, he should immediately lie on his side, I thought.

“……It might be better if I take him to the clinic. Are you all right? Can you grab onto my shoulder?”
“Hey Hey Someone help himー！”
“It seems the Priest isn’t feeling well…”
“Is there something wrong with my husband? Dear, are you all right…?!”

“Takano-saaaan!! You just came at the right time. The Priest doesn’t seem to be feeling well, so I’ll be taking him to the clinic. I’m sorry, but can you bring the car around here?”
“Yea. That will be no problem. …giggle giggle.”

And then, the Priest and his Wife went with Dr. Irie towards his clinic.

……I don’t know about the youngens, but the seniors know their bodies well.
It is uncommon for them to push themselves until they feel that terrible.
And for someone like the Priest to drink until he felt sick is a bit unthinkable.

My cumulative experience over these long years, were telling me something. ……Just in case, I thought I head over to the Irie Clinic myself.

I tried to follow them by car, but since the Festival was just ending, all the stands were closing up and heading out, so there was a lot of traffic making it difficult to get out of this temporally setup parking lot.

For that reason, I didn’t arrive to the clinic until after twenty minutes have past since the Priest was carried out.
In these twenty minutes.
If these twenty minutes weren’t there, my posture towards this year’s incident would have been quite different.

…I regretted knowing as soon as I figured out that getting out by car was difficult, I should have walked.

………Afterwards, I could only reflect on this truth.

The Priest disappeared from the Festival grounds, and within the twenty minutes it took me to arrive at the clinic, this year’s curse had been completely carried out.

As soon as the Priest arrived at the clinic, his condition rapidly changed. And he died.

……Later, the autopsy results came back as a heart failure, but there was no way I will swallow that.

I’ve never heard of the Priest falling ill, nor was there anyone not taken by surprised by this sudden turn of events.

And even more so, the Priest’s wife who should have been accompanying him disappeared.

The people at the clinic say, there was no doubt that she was right next to him until his death, but later when they took notice, she was nowhere to be seen.
Of course, she did not return home either.

At this moment, I was suspicious that someone had poisoned the Priest.

……It was because during the Dam War, the Priest was frown upon his straddle position, saying that there was no need to make this big of a commotion as the Dam Construction will eventually be stopped.

…The village seniors were easily grudged and wouldn’t forget this, backbiting the Priest saying he is not worthy of Oyashiro-sama’s Shrine; even I heard these with my ears.

I immediately called for backup, and went searching for the lost wife.

……Just like last year with the Husband and Wife accident, it was plausible that both could be victims.

I even gathered the Young Men Corp, and search the village to the mountains, which resulted

……in vicinity of the Onigafuchi Marsh, an arranged set of sandals and a Will was found.

The Will stated, my husband’s death was due to Oyashiro-sama’s Curse, and I will quell Oyashiro-sama’s anger with my life… Because of the contents of what was written, it was highly suggested that she drowned herself.

The Onigafuchi Marsh from long ago was rumored that anything that sunk into it will never again be returned as the marsh was bottomless connecting to the Demon’s World.
The Police Divers searched thoroughly, however, no body could be found…

The past two bizarre fatal incidents, to the higher ups in Police, may have seemed that they were already solved as individual cases.
……But, this Third Year’s bizarre death, was definitely strange.

In any case, the Priest who felt ill was carried to the clinic. His wife was accompanying him.

And then, within a short twenty minute period, the Priest dies from an illness, the wife drowns herself in the marsh, or possibly disappeared.

The Priest’s death may perhaps been a fatal acute heart attack.

But, for the Wife to believe that was a Curse, and to repent to her God she decides to drown herself all within a twenty minute period is, no matter how you look at it, is beyond unnatural.

The Furude family has no relatives.
And if she was at all to think of her only daughter she would leave behind, no matter how passionate of a Oyashiro-sama follower she was, there was no way she would commit suicide leaving her daughter behind.

……Irie is also hiding something.

But, Irie is nothing more than the village doctor, which means he’s probably nothing more than their pawn.

…If this is a conspiracy, to assassinate the Priest, then there must be a Puppet Master pulling the strings.

The past two years’ incidents may have been forcefully tied to the village, and even I thought that it might have been a bit overbearing, …but this incident was enough to confirm that it was certain that there is a singular purpose grounded in these serial cases…

……This incident has countless numbers of discrepancies amounting, but someone within the village seems to have put pressure on the high command, and just as the past incidents, this incident was treated as an individual case, compellingly forced to be forgotten……

Continuing on for three years, now everyone in the village will rumor that this is Oyashiro-sama’s Curse.
…I have a feeling that this may be the goal of the culprit.

After the War, the Oyashiro-sama’s faith was once antiquated.
……And to return that dignity, could someone be committing these murders as a ritual?

The ones pulling the strings…………are most likely is the Sonozaki Estate.

A few months have past since then.

Concerning this incident, Sonozaki Oryou blurted to all that it was obvious that the Priest would be Cursed, decisively making the Priest incident a part of the Hinamizawa Bizarre Chain of Deaths, otherwise known as the Oyashiro-sama’s Curse.

At first, I just wanted to avenge the old man.

…But, now along with that incident, the traces of the village’s faith marked by these peculiar cases has developed beginning to show its an abnormal outline.

…Damn it. The old man’s killer is human.
……I will not let that be swapped with some ridiculous Curse…!

Last edited by kj1980; 2006-11-07 at 04:38.
Reason: translated by LostBlue

The strange drug that even my memory can't retain......I think they were capsules.

No, maybe they were large oval-shaped pills?
That poisonous looking red color was quite unique...... Ahh, then it must be a capsule.
No pills would have such a horrible red color.
It must have been a capsule.
...And I think they were one size larger than regular capsules too....... I think. I think.... I can't remember.

Even though my memory is fuzzy right now, if I were shown that drug again, I will remember it like it was yesterday for sure....

That drug steals people.

...It steals your heart, it steals your memory, it steals your emotions, and it makes your body as dull and heavy as lead.
You can't think of anything, you're not interested in anything, you don't think about wanting to be awake or asleep.

Even the passage of time becomes vague, sometimes a mind boggling amount of time would pass, yet the second hand on the clock would only move one tick ahead, sometimes the hands on the clock would go round and round so fast it makes your eyes dizzy.
...Even if either one occurs, I don't hold any special emotions about it. I can't.

......It's a drug that makes you do nothing but lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling.
Only people who have taken it will know just how much of a horrifying and painful drug it is.

On top of that, the most horrifying point about this drug is the fact that you can't realize that it's horrifying while you're taking it.
......In a fuzzy state day after day, not being able to realize that it's a horrifying drug, forced to take them one after another, I continue to lose myself forever.

That's why... when that drug's effect runs out by some mistake or chance,
I realized that I must never ever take that drug again.

......That's right. This is no treatment medicine. This is a poison that's made to kill me slowly.

If I continue to take it at this rate, one day I'll end up stuck in a state where I won't even be able to tell if I was dead or alive, and become unable to regain myself ever again for sure.

......Simply looking up at the ceiling emotionlessly, staring at the hands on the clock circling around for eternity.

If I take that drug again, I will lose the sanity that I have finally regained.
...And I may never be able to regain myself ever again.

...The day I became aware of that, I began to pretend to take the drugs and then throwing them away later.

"When you get medicines from the doctor, you must keep taking them until the very end, even after your conditions have recovered"

That's mother's voice.
It's the voice of mother, said to me everytime I received medicines at the hospital when I was little.
It's the voice of mother, who lectured me for not taking the remaining medicines since I usually get all better before they run out.

But this drug is different.
I can't even remember how old I was when she said that to me, but I chased mother's voice, telling me to continue taking this poisonous capsule until the very last one, out of my head.

I hold onto my head tightly with my elbows, and squeezed hard until my head hurts.... chasing out the thought telling me to keep taking the drug, and mother's voice....

Mother betrayed the family.
......She betrayed me and father, who waited at home for her return with a meal for prepared for 3.
She betrayed the trust of our family, and went to secretly meet with another man behind our backs, saying she's busy with work while setting herself up with another family.
This alone is already a serious betrayal, but mother went ahead and committed yet another serious crime by cutting off her relationship with father, who has been watching after her all this time.

But there's something that's even more unforgivable.
...And that is trying to invite me into a foreign family. She didn't invite father, only me.

Father and I are family.
Family means being together.
And she tried to break up that family. Not satisified with her own affair, she even tried to tear apart the relationship between father and I.

That's right, that's right, now that I remember all this, it really is such an unforgivable, irritating thing, no amount hate is enough.......

The back of my eyes began to hurt, even I can tell that the intense emotions of hatred is causing my face to become distorted.
The overflowing, unstoppable hatred is not stopping with only the hate for mother, it's also directed towards the man that she had the affair with.

......The man she had the affair with.
Akihito-ojisan.

I was a little weak against him since he liked to tease me a lot, but he was a fun person who always gave me spending money and tried to make me happy.
I really liked him.

But that niceness was part of the scheme.
It's all part of the scheme created to crush the family bond between me and father and mother.

......That's why I shouldn't have said that I really liked Akihito-ojisan...!

It's Akihito-ojisan's fault that mother had the affair.
Because mother really was a good mother.
It was Akihito-ojisan who turned her into a bad mother.

That's why the baddest person here is Akihito-ojisan.

When was the first time Akihito-ojisan appeared in front of me?

When I was out together with mother one time...... while we were having lunch at a department store somewhere, he ate together with us, referring to himself as one of mother's friend at the company. That was the first time, I think?

Back then.... If I think about it, for the very first time back then.
Didn't I feel some form of oddness and disgust towards how mother talked to Akihito-ojisan?

That's right that's right, I did feel it. I thought it was weird. I felt disgusted....... I should've trusted that instinctive feel.

...Believing that Akihito-ojisan is a nice person just because he gave me the strawberry on the shortcake, what a naive person I was...!

Father is not responsible at all.
Because father never met with Akihito-ojisan.

But I'm responsible.
...I have met with the enemy Akihito-ojisan many times, and I had plenty of chance to recognize him as the enemy.
In other words, if I had the strong will to protect the happiness that I had at the time, then I should've been able to resist against all those small deceptions and recognize that man as the enemy...!

I can't forget what father looked like on that day.

I can't forget that gentle and kind father...... grabbing onto his own knees, crying with falling tears dripping down on that day.

Did you know about Akihito-ojisan?
Father asked me, and I answered, yeah, I knew.

And then, father slapped me.

......Being slapped, I finally realized it.
I realized just how foolish I was to be wooed by that man.

That's right that's right... it's my fault.
...The little happiness that I wished would continue forever was smashed into pieces by my own hands.
If I wasn't so foolish, then dad wouldn't have shed those tears on that day, and mom would've stayed a good mom.
If I wasn't so foolish......! It's my fault, it's my fault...!!

I can't forgive mother, I can't forgive Akihito-ojisan.
Ahh, and I can't forgive myself for having cursed them this much, yet still adding that affectionate "ojisan" after his name even now ...!!

It was my fault, everything was my fault!
Things ended up like this because I was foolish and stupid!!
Such hate and sadness, and regret and anger!
I thought of tearing mother apart with these two hands if she ever returned to this house again!!

But mother never returned again.
Nowhere else to go, my angers were directed towards everything that mother left behind that I could lay my hands on.

I smashed everything that mother left behind in the house, from one end to another.

I smashed, and bashed.
But that wasn't enough to calm my anger.
Even after the interior of the house was looking like it was flipped upside down, my lost anger was not calmed in the least bit.

Where does anger gather? It surges out from deep within my chest, flows through my arms, gathers at my fingertips, and gushes out from my nails.
Who else can I throw my anger against? ......When I thought about that, I naturally directed my nails at my own body.

That's right, right now, my own body itself is accursed and filthy. I'm the main culprit of everything, so I'm the worst.
Nonono, I'm not the worst, mother is the worst, mother is the filthiest! Her body and heart are all filthy!! Enough to completely defile Ryuugu Reina, and to turn what remains into thin meat slices!!

And one day, I finally learned about it.

I learned that within the blood that's inside me, within the blood vessels, are filled with squirming maggots.

That's right, I was rotten after getting dirtied. I was rotting away from the inside. I should be rotten, go ahead and rot away...!! But, it's so indescribably itchy, so itchy itchy itchy itchy itchy!

Inside the bathroom, I thrusted a razor blade into a thick-looking blood vessel in my leg.

All these maggots spilled out from only a single blood vessel in my left leg. If that's so, then the blood vessels in my right leg must be stuffed with just as many as well. No, and the blood vessels in my calf too, the blood vessels in my arms too, my stomach and waist, chest, nononono, just how many maggots are stuffed within the blood vessels in my neck...!!?

Amazingly, even while becoming so excited by the heat of this madness, I also managed to maintain my calmness at the same time.
"Ahh, if I open up all the blood vessels in my body, then I'll end up dying in the end", I thought with relative calmness.

But I'm responsible for everything, I'm the one who's most at fault.
Even if I made it mother's fault, there's nothing left I can use to defile her.
......Ahh, so that's it, I see.
"This is the best way to put an end to my angers".... I thought with incredible calmness at the time, I believe.

In order for me to forgive my own body...... A "fault" other than my own is needed. The fault of someone besides me. But no such thing exists. No matter how I think about it, no matter how I try to bend it, defiling my own body is the only outlet for my anger. That's why, as long as a "fault" other than my own doesn't exist, I'll have to continue opening up all the blood vessels in my body like this.

Just like how an itchy spot is never satisified no matter how many times you scratch it, my body is never satisfied no matter how many times I slash it. The bathroom has become stained all red by my filthy, sticky blood. I suppose it's probably a horrifying and gruesome scenary from a third person's point of view.

Although I pretend to be calm, the sharp pain that's running through my whole body cannot be fooled. Maybe because too much blood were lost, or perhaps because I have exposed my naked body inside a cold bathroom for too long, my whole body feels cold, as if it's frozen from within. But my whole body hurts with stinging pain, my heart rings like a quick bell. It's so cold and hot, and painful and sad and irritating.

......I wished from the bottom of my heart for something that would grant me forgiveness.

At that moment...... She came.

It's as if she arrived amidst a ray of divine light.
It was something mysterious, something so unbelievable with no sense of realism whatsoever.

And, she apologized.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry", she apologized.

Why is this something apologizing to me........?

An apology is something said when you admit your faults.
...This something has admitted to me the faults that she has commited, on our first meeting.

In other words, this means that......... It's not my fault at all...... and the real one at fault here is this something.

Aha......ahahahahahahahaha.........?

I dropped the razor blade weakly.
It fell into a sticky sea of blood.
All the pains in my body began to rush in
The pains that have been tearing my whole body apart are rushing in.

......Up until now, I have told myself that this pain is a punishment for myself.
But, if I'm not at fault, and the real one at fault here is this something, then I don't have to accept this pain as punishment anymore.
......That why, I don't have to defile my own body anymore.

She continued to apologize to me, while I'm covered in blood, over and over again.
She apologized to me everytime I wanted to scold myself, and always, always whispered to me that it's not my fault.

Oyashirosama exists.

She's always behind me. Petapeta, petapeta.

And everytime I felt like I couldn't endure my own sins anymore, she would apologize and tell me "it's not Reina's fault".

Everything was Oyashirosama's Curse.
...Everything went mad because we broke the rule that forbids you from leaving Hinamizawa.

...I finally remembered. When we moved away from Hinamizawa, didn't I receive a charm from an obasan living nearby? "Oyashirosama's Curse will happen if you leave Hinamazawa, so take this charm with you to keep away the bad luck", she said. That's right, I got one I got one, I did get one. I did get one that had difficult looking words written on it with a writing brush. But I don't remember seeing it again after we moved. I must've lost it while we were moving.

It can't be helped then. If Hinamizawa's people leave Hinamizawa, the curse will befall upon them, that's the rule.

Mother and I, and perhaps even Akihito-ojisan too, all became weird because of Oyashirosama's Curse.

It was nobody's fault to begin with.
Because everything was Oyashisama's Curse's fault.

It's nobody's fault, nobody nobody nobody nobody! I have finally forgiven everything. The anger that did not calm even after I smashed everything, soiled everything, and defiled my own body and mind, has finally been calmed.

Dad....... I finally understand now.

Mom leaving us, and me and dad becoming this sad too, all of it is Oyashirosama's Curse. You remember, right dad? Oyashirosama. The protector god of Hinamizawa, Oyashirosama....... Yeah, that right, isn't it? Hinamizawa's people aren't supposed to go out into the dirty world, that was the rule, right? That's why this is Oyashirosama's Curse.

If our family had never left Hinamizawa, we would've been happy even now, for sure.

Oyashirosama came to me, you know, and she told me that.

Now that I think about it, Oyashirosama has always been trying to tell me that. When mom left us, and I was left confused about how things ended up this way, not sure where I should direct my anger at, she was already behind me, always, always trying to let me know that.

She always followed me. Hitahita petapeta. But I pretended I didn't notice....Ahahahahaha, I sure am slow, aren't I? After all, I had to wait until my whole body is scarred like this before I can hear Oyashirosama's voice.

If only I was able to listen to Oyashirosama's voice more,
......Oyashirosama must have been warning me already ever since Akihito-ojisan showed up, I bet.

Because, because, if we went back to Hinamizawa as a family, then mom wouldn't have cheated.

The three of us would've been able to live in Hinamizawa happily as a family.

Oyashirosama has been always, always, that's right, that's right, Hasn't Oyashirosama always been trying to tell us that ever since we left Hinamizawa?

She has always been with me. Always, always followed me everywhere. I was foolish for dismissing it as my own imagination and pretending to ignore it.......That's right, this is all because of my foolishness.... If I had noticed Oyashirosama's voice, then our family wouldn't have been hit with the misfortune from the curse...! I was foolish, stupid, everything's my fault!! Ahhhhh Oyashirosama's apologizing and apologizing again, apologizing and saying that it's her fault that things became like this...!!

You can't hear her, dad? You can't see her? She apologizing over there right now, I'm sorry I'm sorry!! I'll apologize too, dad apologize with me too. Mom don't have to apologize, mom can just go to hell from Oyashirosama's Curse!! I hate mom I hate her I hate her I hate her I hate her!! I hate how mom's blood is flowing within me, I hate it I hate it!! These maggots are all mom's fault too, the maggots in my blood are squirming and it's itchy!!

I'm sorry I'm sorry!! I'm sorry I'm sorry! No, I don't want it, I'm not taking that drug!! That's the poison capsule that mom prepared to kill me with! That's why I don't want it, I'm not taking it!! I said I'm not taking it, stop it stop it!! This is a curse so it can't be cured with drugs! The maggots in my body can't be cured with drugs, because it's a curse!! I don't want injections either, stop it stop it!! It hurts, it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts...!!!

.........The world fades into a grey color.

The clamoring voices of dad and the doctor feels like something happening far away.
No, even things that happened just now feels like something from long ago.

...And then, I was given that capsule again, and even those vivid memories just now were buried into the other side of the forgotten realm....

.
.
.

.........I'm in the bed again, staring up at the ceiling.

Only moving things enter my eyes, and all I have care for are the hands on the clock.

......Tick tock, tick tock.

I'm only following the minute hand circling around, and the hour hand circling slo~wly around with my eyes.

I can see something else as well.

Just like the hands on the clock, it's also repeating the same thing over and over again.

The school is the children’s world.
The values of the adult world do not enter here.

The children decide their own values, and create their own world.

That is why, ……no matter what irrational rule sways the adult world that is the village, here it does not matter.

Within the village, the Hojou Family are isolated, and even if we understand what the adults are saying behind their backs, it is never conveyed over in the schoolyard.

The values of the children’s world are decided by the children.
……What rules they feel to be irrational are not carried over here.

That’s why. As the representative of the children’s world, as the class president, I vowed to not allow those irrational rules to seep in, even in the smallest amount, here.

Within the schoolyard, I will not forgive any teasing of the Houjou children.

In the very beginning of the beginning, some boys teasingly attempted to bully Satoko but, since I punished them relentlessly from there on, things like that have stopped completely.

That is, my meager resistance to the irrational of the village…
That is why, I would like to think at the very least, within the schoolyard that Satoshi and Satoko could feel secure.

Satoshi seemed to have noticed my consideration and while in the school he was able to make a gentle smile.

But the same smile could not be seen on Satoko’s face.

……Several classmates near her age tried to cheer her up, eventually concluded that it was best to leave her alone, and avoided Satoko.

At first, I also proactively approached her but, ……I came to the realization, and stopped.

I am a Sonozaki.
To Satoko, I could be discomforting her by approaching her…
What I can do, was to watch over her in the shadows.

That is why, in the classroom Satoko was always alone.

Even so, even when said to be annoying, Rika-chan glued to her side, and Satoshi always tried to be next to her.
……Only these two, were the exception standing by Satoko.

But not limited to Satoko, ……the malicious ostracism of the Hojou Family knew no end.

Because her hysterical Aunt frankly displayed hostility to her neighbors, there was no one who held any sympathy towards them.

……There are fights worth taking and ones better set aside.

If the Aunt had a little self-control and tolerance, they would have not inherited the blanket ostracism of Mr. & Mrs. Hojou.
……Although, it was the village who first threw this irrational inheritance upon them, even though they were unrelated to the issue.

However, …if they would have held their head down low, it wouldn’t have gone this far.
The Aunt’s hostility was one thing, …but the life of the family were dragged into the mess.

It seems that the Uncle’s relationship with the Aunt was already horrible, and he rarely came home staying out most of the time.
This shame brought Satoshi and Satoko painful memories.

The Aunt sought out Satoko as her an outlet for her stress, and Satoko was continually pounded by her malicious harassment.

……This is the also same.
…Even if the Aunt was her provisional guardian, Satoko displayed her obvious disgust towards her Aunt, showing no intention to hide it even on the surface.

She should have learned from Satoshi, passing the time humbly, never becoming the target of her Aunt’s wrath.

…Then, can one say, presently, Satoko put herself in this situation where she lives the passing days staring down with no light in her eyes?

………That is not so.
But, even if we want to sympathize with her or help her, ……no one knew what do anymore.

By now, even if someone apologizes to someone, …this situation will not change.
The flow that has gushed out, can not be changed.
The village structure harassment of the Hojou Family, that flow, can not be changed.

That horrid situation lurks behind our lives.

……The neighbors, the village, the community.

If you become enemies with them, …this world will becomes this cruel.
……From ancient times, the Japanese knew this that is why as obligation one is to be courteous to their neighbors, promoting humility.

No matter whose fault you place it on, the smile on Satoko’s face will not return.
…What I can do, is at the very least while she is in school, is to watch over her so that she has a place to be secured.

“………Thank you. Mion.”

“…eh? Ah hahaha, sorry, what?”

“Nothing. …Just, thank you for your consideration for Satoko.”

Satoshi may seem like he’s absent-minded, …but occasionally says stuff as if he was reading one’s mind.
I tried to deny it, as it was out of my character to be read like that, but as if knowing my thoughts, he gently laughed.

“Satoko just forgotten how to smile. ……When she’s at school, …really for that time being, she is given a moment to take the load off her shoulders. That’s probably, the most gentle moments Satoko has, I believe.”

“Ahahahahaha… ……Well, this is about all Ojisan can do.”
“………That’s not true. I’m also just as grateful.”
“Stop it. ……There’s nothing to be grateful about. The ones that are causing you all this grief, is probably, my family.”

“………I, never thought of it that way. Never.”

…I’m not great at reading people’s subtle signs, but I knew that these words from Satoshi were a lie.

Satoshi also, …knew the roots of the ostracism laid with the Sonozaki Family, ……and consciously must have been aware that I am the daughter of the Sonozaki Estate.

Satoshi is mature, that is why he doesn’t take his anger out on me.
………If, Satoshi was as short tempered as his Aunt, it would have been no mystery if he were to outspokenly show his prejudice against me.

In that case, the right way to be thoughtful could be that I do not get close to them.

………But, since I am meddlesome, I cannot overlook Satoko down look or …Satoshi who feigns his admirable smile.

…Even if that may be more troublesome to Satoshi and Satoko.

“…………………I, ……may not understand Satoko’s feelings at all.”
“……Why do you say that?”

“The main reason why Satoko is feeling this pain is because of my family. ……Being that I am the daughter of that family, for me to be meddling around her, I feel that I’m not reading the air around her.”

“That’s not true. Mion, I think that’s just about right. “

“What the heck. Are you saying that me being insensible is just about right?”

“Muu, I didn’t mean it that way. …………That air you were talking about, if that what is robbing Satoko’s smile then. …I believe it has to be a person who doesn’t mind that air who can bring back her smile.”

“……You, you’re saying wondering things, but aren’t you making fun at me at the same time? You’re so terrible, ahahaha!”

“I’m not making fun of you. ………I want you to help, that’s all.”
“…eh?”

“………I alone can’t bring Satoko’s smile back. ……I need the help of a person as strong as you, Mion.”
“b, but… I’m, ……Sonozaki Mion, you know…? If I did something insensible as that, it might hurt Satoko even more…”

“When that air is what is making Sakoto all alone…? That’s why Mion, are you too, going to leave Satoko all alone…?”

“………………………”

This was the first time, … Satoshi directly sought for my help.

To him, Satoko is a precious person.

……To bring back the smile to Satoko’s face, my help is needed, that is what he clearly asked for.

But, …… ……well… ……that may be true.

The quarrel between the Sonozaki Family and the Hojou Family, is the circumstances placed down by the adults, …it is irrelevant to us kids.

That irrational adult rule means absolutely nothing in the children’s world.
…I can, in the world that I create, protest against the adult world’s irrationality.

“……Will Satoko, really, think that I’m not a bother?”

“She might be at first. But, I’m with you. With you, Mion. She’ll soon open up.”
“Re, really…! ………………Today, after school, should I ask Satoko to play with us?”

“…If we go home then our Aunt will rant at us, so we may not be able to come out.”
“Aha, then that’s easy. We’ll just play before you go home.”
“But, if we get home late, she’ll ask what the heck we were doing……”

“ahmmm, then, that’s it, yea, that’s it! What if you said that you two joined a club?”

“A club?”

“Yep. Tell her it’s a club, and we’ll play at school before you go home. You see, there’s a lot of boys still playing here without going home yet. It should be no problem!”

“By indoors, do you mean the classroom? But if we get too riled up then Chie-sensei…”

“ku ku ku! It’s possible to get worked up indoors without being riled. Ojisan may not look like it, but I love games. I collected treasures like the ones from overseas. The manuals are difficult as they are in English so I’ve been hording many of them away as I didn’t have a person to play them with.”

“I wonder if Satoko can play those.”
“Of course! Ahaha, who cares about the rules, if we don’t know them we will make them up on the spot! If everyone is playing by the same rules, then any rule is fair game!”

As I said that in high spirits, I wonder if asking Satoko to play the games which I bring from home will really bring her smile back.

……Better to try then not. …Tomorrow, I guess I’ll bring some kind of board game.

“You, …you know, Mion. I would like to ask you something.”
“What? If it’s something I can do, I’m all ears.”

“I’m, ……looking for a part-time job. To cheer up Satoko, …I thought I’ll get her a wonderful birthday present.”

Last edited by kj1980; 2006-11-25 at 16:20.
Reason: translation by LostBlue

"Ah, hello. We are the Ryuugu family who has just moved in next door. I have came to offer our greetings. Pleased to meet you."
"My my my! Such a young child like you is moving into this backwater village? I see, I see, how nice of you to come! Ma! The new neighbour next door is here to greet us--!!"

"I can hear ya without yer yellin'! By the way, thanks for comin' all the way 'ere to greet us."
"Her name is Ryuugu-san. She said they moved into the empty house next door."

"Wha~, Ma, you knew her?!"
"'course I know her! Ah--, ya probably don't know 'cause ya lived in Okinomiya. She's the neighbour who lived next to us a long time ago.... I see, I see, so ya came back! It must be more comfortable living here in the village than the city after all."
"I don't remember much about this village since I've only lived here when I was little...... but I have always felt nolstalgic about it, it's like this place is where I belong."

"Then you'll get used to things 'ere in no time! If there's anything we can help with, just give us a call! Remember, being unreserved is the rule around 'ere."
"Ah, yes! Thank you very much."

Although I thought that maybe I'll be able remember the past if I walked around the village a little, I wasn't able to remember anything at all.

But I do remember this vividly fresh air and wind, unlike the drowsy kinds in the city, as well as these brilliant greeneries.
Although I don't remember much about the village... I do remember that this is the home town where I belong.

......Red scars still remain on parts of my body.
But they're really light scars, I wouldn't even be able tell they're there if I touch them with my eyes closed.
Chances are, even those scars will disappear too before I know it.

Now that I have returned to Hinamizawa like this, there are times where I wonder just exactly who I was back in Ibaraki.

...No, most likely, from the moment I left Hinamizawa, I wasn't myself anymore.
And then, by returning to Hinamizawa, I have finally regained my true self.......

Even if I try to recall what I was like back in Ibaraki, I can't remember much anymore except in vague images.
......It must be that weird red drug's doing.
That drug has erased my painful memories.

But.........maybe that was a good thing.
Because the me back then must've wished for forgiveness, that's why.

I couldn't forgive mother, I couldn't forgive Akihito-ojisan... and I couldn't forgive myself the most.

I wanted someone to tell me that it's not my fault. I wanted to be forgiven.

......And then, Oyashirosama apologized to me.
This is the fault of Oyashirosama's Curse, so it's not your fault, she said.
That's why I was able to forgive myself.
......That's why, I didn't have to tear apart all the blood vessels in my body and die from losing all my blood.

...I always thought that people who has been dirtied must die.
That's why I have always lived on while making sure my body doesn't get tainted, haven't I?

But, even with a dirtied body, I'm still living on like this. I have been allowed to live.

...Are there still any filth left on me?
Or has everything been cleaned up nicely? ...I don't know.

The only thing I do know is that... The me back in Ibaraki and the me here are two different persons.

And the fact that, I no longer have to worry about giving in to the dirtiness, and tearing myself apart anymore....

Night time. After managing to arrange the some of the furnitures and unpacking some of the packaged boxes, I ate a late dinner.

Even though Hinamizawa is nothing more than a fuzzy memory to me, dad appears to have remembered it like we only left yesterday.

"Although it was also around when we used to live here, that Watanagashi Festival seems to be becoming a really big festival nowadays. They say it's held near the end of June."

"......Watanagashi?"

"Daddy doesn't really know about it since I've never seen it either, but it seems to be an event where you would use cotton to absorb the filth on your body, and then let it wash down the stream."
To wash... the filth.

"......So filth is something you can wash away, huh?"
"Ahahahahaha, of course. Humans are sinful creatures, after all. Just by being alive, we gather filth as we go about our daily lives. So apparently, what we do is use cotton to suck them up once every year, kind of like cleaning your own body, and then throwing them away."

By doing bad things, people become burdened with filth and sins.

Although you can settle your crimes legally with court sentences...... the cross of sin, the filth will never go away for the rest of your life.
In other words... It shows that in the world of man, a man's filth cannot be cleansed by a man's hand.

...Since the filth cannot be cleansed by man, then we can only get gods, who have left this world for another, to cleanse it for us.... That's what I made of it.

But...... this Watanagashi thing really surprised me.

While being in the world of man, a man's filth is cleansed by a man's hand.
The filth is absorbed by the cotton, and then washed down the river.
......That's basically a way of saying "it's alright to live in this world".

Not being able to forgive myself, I have thought of dying.
Facing such a me, Oyashirosama apologized, forgave, and advised me to return to Hinamizawa.

And then, in Hinamizawa, there's a ceremony that cleanses filth called Watanagashi.
...This cannot be a coincidence.

Hinamizawa is... a place of filth cleansing.
It forgives sins.
It's a place of forgiveness.

"And that, is what they call a "Misogi", you know" (note: Misogi 禊, a ceremony of cleansing)

"...Ah... I've heard of that word before, I think."

"The Japanese culture is very strict towards these things called filths, don't you agree? You're not allowed to remain on the front stage if you leave behind some kind of filth. That's also the reason why politicians or company heads usually resign right away once people find out about their dirty deeds, you see. A dirtied person must leave the front stage....... To put it badly, the filth is basically just pushed onto someone and they're held responsible for it."

Sins and filths must be removed.

That's why people would push sins and filths onto some random person, and then try to remove the filth by cutting that person away altogether.

But if that's the case, then everytime filth is created, people would needlessly push around the responsibilities.
...And that is a very ugly thing, it's like watching the demons of this world.
That's why... people thought of pushing the filth not onto people, but onto the cotton instead.

By doing that, everybody would be able to live on without having responsibilities or sins or filths pushed onto them.

......You must go through a sacrifice to push everyone's sins onto someone and then kill that person.

Nobody wants to be a sacrifice.
That's why everyone pushes their sins around, desperately and uglily.

To replace that sacrifice role with something not human, that's the Misogi.

The thing that caused a dramatic change in the Japanese culture, which has always believed that a sacrifice would have to be killed, the Misogi.

In other words... it shows that, even if filth befalls upon us, everyone would be able to live on without having to make it somebody's fault.

A filth is now forgiven by a method other than death.
Only an existence higher than man can forgive a man.
Forgiven by Oyashirosama, I have returned to this place. And here exists a Misogi called Watanagashi.

Have the cotton absorb the filth of my body, and dispose of it by washing it away.
The sacrifice that is my body is not required. Which means, it is alright for me to live.

The filthy me disappears into the river...... So that means, the me here is no longer Ryuugu Reina anymore.

If I'm not Reina... then I'm Ryuugu... what?
Having all the filthy and icky things washed away clean, what is my name now?

.........Floating into my mind faintly, a single name.

That is my name. Although it's just one hiragana pulled from Reina...... It felt kind of cute. (note: Reina is spelled in hiragana as れいな, Re-i-na)

All the "i"cky things are now gone and forgiven. (note: "I"yana koto / "い"やなこと, "unpleasant things")

The relationship between my aunt and Satoko hasn’t changed. Every night, my aunt yells at Satoko for trivial things. Satoko still cries which further angers my aunt. Hence my aunt’s anger does not subside. And Satoko continues to cry.

…Satoko does not open her heart out to anyone except me. …So if I were to abandon her, that would be a very sad thing for her. As her older brother, I must provide her with the love and attention that she was never provided by our mother and fathers.

But it’s everyday. Satoko cries everyday over and over again.

…Yesterday, Satoko came up to me for help as usual. …I patted her head as I always do to say that everything is alright. ….But as I was patting her, a different kind of thought began to well up inside me.

I felt this awful and devilish emotion building up inside me in which I wanted to just grasp her by the head and started banging her against the wall.

No, no no…what am I thinking!!! I mustn’t thing such thoughts…!!
No, I mustn’t think about them, I shouldn’t have realized them in the first place…!

From that day on, ...I had another me inside me. And that other me wants to take over my body and switch places with me.

That other me wants me to start saying words out of my mouth that will indeed hurt Satoko for the rest of her life.

Fuck off. Get off of me. You piss me off, go away..!!
No, no no!! I musn’t, I musn’t, I musn’t!!!!

I fight off me taking over my body. …I suck him down deep into my stomach so me can leave my body. …And I succeeded.

But the other me didn’t stop there. …Me began to always follow me, trying to get back inside of me. …But I’m not going to let such a horrifying me get a hold of my body. And me knows that while I’m constantly watching, me has no chance to do so either.

…So, the other me decided to follow me everywhere behind my back, ….looking for the right moment where I let my guard down to slip inside me once again. When I walk…I hear me’s footsteps. Me follows my every move exactly no matter where I go. When I lie down to go to sleep, me just stares down upon me. …Me is always waiting to take over my body to hurt Satoko….

…It’s getting hot these days. Maybe that’s the reason why my body and soul become weary easily, which leads me to think of such thoughts.

I’m the only remaining blood-relative of Satoko. …So I must protect Satoko from that aunt for the rest of my life… That is my eternal duty…\

The rest of my life? Eternal? Forever? I have to do this until I die…?

If only Satoko...
But I’m her only family she has left…
But that’s a bit too extreme isn’t it…
Besides, it’s that aunt…
And the rest of the villagers…!

It’s almost Watanagashi. The irresponsible villagers are all saying that the curse will once again fall upon Hinamizawa this year as well. And they are all saying that should the curse fall, it would most likely fall against me and Satoko. …Somehow, I can’t shake off the feeling that the villagers are eyeing me with “anticipation.”

I have a gut-feeling that I am going to be killed on the day of Watanagashi.

I guess my actions were strange enough that anyone would notice. …Rena had a very concerned look on her face.

…Her name is Ryuguu Rena. She is a recent transfer student who moved to Hinamizawa. Not many kids remember her, but she seems to have lived here in Hinamizawa a long time ago. However, she said that she can’t recall much about this place because she was too little. As I was a student whose closest peer was Mion, I was very glad to gain another friend close to my age. She usually enjoys playing with Mion, but she often shows a feminine side as well.

Rena: “Do you feel sick…? I think you should take a rest at the nurse’s office-kana. ….kana.”
Satoshi: “Thanks. No, I’m fine. …Did I look that sick to you?”

Rena: “Yes.”
She responded immediately, which affirmed that I really wasn’t myself just a minute ago.

She instantly realized that the cause of my sickness was not from an illness, but from psychological stress… This is just my observation, but I think Rena’s actually very slick in noticing things despite her nonchalant attitude…

Rena: “…Although Rena may not know a lot of things because I’m a transfer student…you can always count on me to be there to listen to you. …I’m sure that having someone to listen would alleviate things off your back.”

Although not much has past since she transferred to our school, she seemed to have quickly grasped the atmosphere surrounding between us and the village.

But even if did I tell her about my problems, nothing would come out of it. …Or perhaps, what I am really afraid of is that by that talking to her about my problems might make me acknowledge my own weakness….which can open the door to letting the other me back inside…

Rena: “When I called your name right now, you jumped in great surprise, right? So that’s why I thought that you had a very big and…harsh subject on your mind… Hau…”
Satoshi: “Oh, well….ahahaha. Well actually, …I’ve been having this weird feeling that someone is following me all the time. You know, ‘tap tap, step step.’ …So I you with those footsteps…. …oh forget it. Ahahaha. I don’t know what I’m saying either.”

“……Is that so. …No, no a registration isn’t necessary. Satoshi-kun, you are our Hinamizawa Fighters’ promising player! We’ll keep a open seat for you. So come back any time.”

“I don’t know…… I don’t think I’ll be returning anytime soon, so I thought I should resign first…”

Satoshi-kun began asking to quit the Hinamizawa Fighters.

……Since I knew the situation that Satoshi-kun and Satoko-chan were in, …I did thought that he may say this sooner or later…

Satoko-chan and her Aunt relationship is becoming seemingly deadly, with her bullying now more vicious apparently.

Recently, it seems that the Child Protection Services personals have intervened, and for the time being the Aunt has calm down a little but, ……she soon reverted to her malicious harassment in a sly form.

According to the neighbors, there is no night where Aunt’s angry voice and Satoko-chan’s crying cannot be heard, furthermore, it was not rare for the screaming to last late into the night.

The numbers on Satoko-chan’s voluntary weekly fixed-study have slowly grown for the worse, and to counter it, I’ve increased her medication to maintain these numbers, however, ………as long as her relationship with her Aunt does not improve, she will eventually be deranged with near L5 symptoms.

…No, if I’m not mistaken, she isn’t the type to become deranged in the final stages. ……while her heart is harboring her insanity, she is the type that hides it on the surface.

……Just as the year before last, when she pushed her parents, …it is possible that Satoko-chan may kill her Aunt.

Because of the Yamainu’s handy-work, that fall incident was resolved as an accident, and Oishi pulled away but, he continues to suspect something is wrong even now.

……If another incident were to occur in Satoko-chan’s vicinity, ……this time he will forego all leniency on an investigation on her.

……Satoko-chan’s worsening situation is now at a level where I cannot do little about.

Knowing this, for a loving brother like Satoshi-kun to say he would like to spend more time with this sister, isn’t strange at all…

“To tell you the truth, I starting a part-time job. That is why I will not be able to come to practice…”
“A part-time job? Is there something you want to buy…?”

“……Yes. …Soon it will be Satoko’s birthday. There’s a stuff animal that Satoko really wanted, so I thought I get it for her as a present.”
Come to think of it, that’s right.
I remember on her insurance card.
Wasn’t it, 06/24? Just right after the Watanagashi Festival?

The way Satoshi-kun was talking, I assumed that he had much stored anxiety. ……To Satoshi-kun, to see Satoko-chan bullied, is the same as torturing himself…

By moderately exercising through sports, his stress can be relieved, and along with adequate regulated sleep, this will heal the process.

If Satoko-chan is being disciplined nightly by her Aunt, …it is doubtful that Satoshi-kun has been taking adequate amount of sleep.
……Also, I do not know the type of job he took, but unlike playing sports, it will be difficult for him to release his stress, most likely.

…To put it bluntly, for the mentally and physically weaken Satoshi-kun, I could not approve of him taking this job as it could be his final blow.

I thought of giving him some money for the present, but knowing his nature, he will not take the offer.
He wants to award the present himself, so he will believe that he must solely gather the money himself, and refuse my offer.

Since his work is only to buy a present for Satoko-chan, it must be something on the short-term. …If it is only for a short time, it will pressure him too much…

Really, while his mentality is weaken, I would like avoid any increase to his load, but when he bought up that Satoko-chan’s birthday was near, it will be very difficult to stop a loving brother like him.

………Satoshi’s resolve is firm.

If I tell him to quit his job, I could loose his trust.

Because I feared that, I decided to accept this resignation.

“……Oh yea, Coach. …a bat, do you mind if I borrow one?”

I gravely mistaken the meaning behind those words.

…Later, when I heard that he carried that bat as a weapon to protect himself, ……I realized a dangerous indication was definitely emerging in Satoshi-kun, already at that moment.

He had convinced himself the Chain of Bizarre Deaths will continue onto a Fourth Year, …and had no doubt that he will become the next victim.

……He had become strongly obsessed that someone was after his life. That is for sure, a late stage symptom of the Hinamizawa Syndrome.

…But, at this moment, even when I was a person involved in the Hinamizawa Syndrome research, I was careless…

“A bat? What do you plan to use it for?”

Satoshi-kun had a personal bat.
That’s why, he should be asking whether it’s okay to take it home rather than borrow it, but curiously he had asked to borrow it.

…Thinking about it later there was no way for me to understand at this point that he had asked my consent before taking the bat home was to lighten his guilty conscience.

“……No, I mean, ……I may not be able to come to practice, but…… I think I will almost certainly find the time to continue practicing my swings.“

“That’s good! If that’s the case, please take one. When you practice your swing, be sure to pay attention to your surrounding or else it’ll be dangerous. If it won’t bother your neighbors, it would be good practice to hit a hanging a tire.”

Just swinging a bat will be a good stress reliever.
That’s why, by giving him the bat, it will relieve his anxiety, even for a little bit. …or at least I thought.

……………but, …that was a big mistake.
Later, I learned of the unrecoverable stage placed before me…

Last edited by kj1980; 2006-11-15 at 10:40.
Reason: translated by LostBlue

This year we were prepared to respond rapidly.
For that reason, we were able to immediately begin the investigation of the crime scene.

The victim was none other than the wife of the younger brother of the Hojou Couple.
She was an exceptional suitable target for the Fourth Year’s Oyashiro-sama’s Curse.

Her reputation among her neighbors was awful.
Even after the incident, everyone mouthed off that she deserved the curse that came to her.

……I had a general idea who the culprit is.

Most likely, …it was Hojou Satoshi. That simple looking boy.

He had the motive.
The victim relentlessly harassed his sister.
This was no doubt a retaliatory crime to that.

Furthermore, during the inspection of the crime scene, his conduct was somewhat frantic, yet at strange times he was too far composed if he was truly unrelated to the crime. …My intuition born from my extensive police work taught me, that 8 or 9 out of 10 that he is the one.

Although there is no conclusive evidence that points to him, …if I bring him in for voluntary questioning, and shake him up a bit, I have a feeling he will confess to the crime.

“For the victim to suffer a flurry of blows like this, the culprit must have received some spilled blood on himself as well. If we can find that then his clothing will be decisive.”
“Well, unless the guy is a total idiot he probably disposed of it by now. After he confesses to the crime, if we can find the place where he threw his clothes, the prosecution will have to give in.”

As an independent incident, it was awfully crude.
……If Hojou Satoshi comes clean then that will be the end of it.

Everyone but myself thought that.

……But, if you look at this incident as part of the Chain of Bizarre Deaths, this case will not be closed.

Behind this incident, deep within the village, the Gosanke, …or possibly just the Sonozaki Family must be directly involved.

If they are the ones pulling the strings, there is no doubt they have instigated Hojou Satoshi into committing this crime.
………But, if this was the case, then Hojou Satoshi would be someone who knew too much about them.

The Sonozaki must persistently remain hidden behind their black curtain.
Will they simply discard him if he could be the key to connecting the crime to them…?

Knowing Hojou Satoshi is a loving brother, they set him up to kill his Aunt as the Fourth Year’s Curse…
After that, ……if they erase Hojou Satoshi who connects this crime to them…

…………Hojou Satoshi isn’t just a simple criminal. …He could be nothing more than a sucker who was set up.

And later, …my suspicion was confirmed. ……He suddenly disappeared.

It was a puzzling how he disappeared.
He didn’t run because he was afraid that his crime came to light.

……A different criminal appeared as the culprit for this case.
He was already in custody for a different crime, furthermore the crazy bastard died later in his detention cell.

He confessed to information that only the culprit would have known.
Therefore, he was the culprit.
Moreover, since he had already died, the investigation was closed.
And then Hojou Satoshi vanishes days after the Watanagashi.

………It was obvious that someone didn’t want Hojou Satoshi to be connected to this incident.

My superiors put pressure to close the investigation, and made the Hojou Satoshi Missing Person situation as a separate incident handing over the case to a different department.

For this investigation to be concluded with such impatience, greatly resembles the same a trick used two years ago with the Hojou Couple Falling Accident which was forcefully denied the probability of a committed crime, conclusively high-handed as an accident.

………How could I not suspect that this was the work of “someone” who can pressure my superiors in the Police Department?

Ironically, ……the only people who can put this pressure on the police department in the neighboring Hinamizawa area is none other than the Sonozaki Family.
…They may have believed they hid their tails well, but instead this has more than anything distinctively fashioned their track.

From my informant, Sonozaki Oryou had referenced the Fourth Year’s Curse at the family meeting, hinting at being the one behind it all.

……This allusion will not serve as any evidence, but at any rate, there was no mistake that Sonozaki Oryou is leading the ones behind it all…

I know that they’re the one who did in the Old Man. Then why, why can’t I grab their tail…!
Even now, the principal offender is still on the loose no where to be found, after all he is being sheltered by the Sonozaki Family somewhere.
……If I can capture him, then I can find the Old Man’s missing right arm.
I can return his arm to his grave, …and make the principal offender and the mastermind bow down in before his grave…

……Although, just like how Hojou Satoshi disappeared, it is likely the principle offender has already been erased as well.
Most likely he has been killed by now, and buried in a place never to be found. Even so, that will be fine. ………I will drag that hag who ordered the Old Man to be killed, and slam her forehead on the ground before his grave. Definitely… I swear……!

Now that the Oyashiro-sama’s Curse can be counted to its Fourth Year, …the premature speculations of next year’s Fifth has already started floating around.

Regardless of the solid preparations that I made, I could not effectively stop the Fourth Year.

It is certain now, that it is too late to wait for it to happen.
…Before something happens, I have to bring to light the inner workings of the village…
Also, ……I have to, by all possible means, settle this by next year.

This is because …I will be retiring.
My mother has strongly requested to return to her homeland in Hokkaido, and from long while back, she has asked to move back there when I retire.
I feel that this is the last filial piety I could serve, and agreed to move back to Hokkaido with her upon my retirement.

……That is why, next year will be my last chance I have to avenge the Old Man’s death.

It is a crime that has gone on for four years now. …I’m afraid that perhaps it will occur for a fifth.

As a result of the Chain of Bizarre Deaths, the village has henceforth been tightly knitted together since the Dam War.
…It is because betrayers will be punished under the name of the Curse which has been promptly portrayed.

……To the masterminds, this is enough reason to motivate this Chain of Bizarre Deaths.

Rumor has it; the reason that the Aunt was Cursed was because of her infidelity for not participating in the Watanagashi.
For this reason, there are villagers who began to believe if they do not participate in next year’s festival, they also could become the target of the Curse. ………No doubt next year’s festival will be extravagant.

Certainly, it will occur again next year.
The Hinamizawa Chain of Bizarre Deaths. In other words, the Oyashiro-sama’s Curse.

……Therefore, for sure, absolutely. I will avenge the Old Man……

Last edited by kj1980; 2006-11-25 at 16:21.
Reason: translated by LostBlue

The village was in tumult; a mysterious death occurred once again for the fourth straight year.

This time, the victim was…Satoko-chan’s aunt. Indiscreetly however, everyone in the village seemed to be somewhat satisfied about the curse that befell upon the aunt for her constant troubles she had within the village.

But, I managed to figure the truth behind this rather quickly. When I was called by the police for an on-site analysis on her beaten corpse, I undoubtedly realized that the assailant was Satoshi-kun…

The ever-increasing abuse towards Satoko-chan. The tremendous stress felt by Satoshi-kun to protect her. And the baseball bat that he took home with him… All the signs were there. I didn’t even have to ask Satoshi-kun.

…I was in despair. I tried my best to become the friend that he had within this community which hated them. …But in the end, I couldn’t even gain his trust…

Then the phone rang. It was from Satoshi-kun.

I never received a phone call from Satoshi-kun himself. Why is he calling me all of a sudden…? Perhaps he needs some kind of assistance for what he had done…? If he is…I wanted to help. I really thought so.

Satoshi: “Oh, hello kantoku. I’m sorry to bother you at work.”
Irie: “No, no, it’s okay. Can I help you?”
Satoshi: “Um, …well I couldn’t think of anyone else who had a car…”
Irie: “A car? Sure, I have one.”
Satoshi: “Well, I’m in front of the toy store right now. It’s not the one that’s owned by Mion’s uncle, it’s the other one near the dentist.”
Irie: “Oh yes, that one. Yes, I know.”
Satoshi: “And, well I bought a teddy bear as a birthday present for Satoko, but well….muu…it’s too big to fit onto my bike.”
Irie: “Too big to fit on a bike? Ahahaha, Satoshi-kun, how big of a teddy bear did you buy?”
Satoshi: “…muu.”

He didn’t realize how to bring such a big present back home. That was so typical of Satoshi-kun, it made me smile. So basically, he needs someone with a car to drive him, his bike, and Satoko-chan’s birthday present back home. I promptly agreed to pick him up and drove to the toy store at Okinomiya. There, I learned that the teddy bear he bought was larger than I have ever imagined.

Irie: “…Whoa…! Hahahaha, this IS big! You’re right, there is now way you can fit that thing on any bike!”

The teddy bear was large enough that would be difficult for even Satoshi to wrap his arms around it. Even if he rode his bike back home with it on his lap, he wouldn’t be able to see anything in front of him.

I helped him place his bike on the back seat and placed the teddy bear into the trunk of the car.

Irie: “But, it must’ve been very expensive to buy such a large teddy bear.”
Satoshi: “…Yeah…well…yes, it was a bit.”

At first, I though he was sweating because of the summer heat. …However, something didn’t look right. His consciousness was coming and going like he had a fever.

Irie: “You don’t look so good. …Are you feeling alright…?”
Satoshi: “…Yes…I mean no…I think it’s a cold…”
Irie: “Well then, that needs to be checked! You want to come to the clinic? Let me take a good look at it.”
Satoshi: “…Thank you… …huff…., huff….”

When he called me just a few moments ago, he was perfectly fine. …Then that means his symptoms began within a short time span.

Irie: “Here, put the seat back in recline and take a rest. Is the AC too strong? How do you feel?”
Satoshi: “…..huff…..huff…..huff……..”

His face is turning blue. I can visibly tell that his fever was breaking out.

…Satoshi-kun was pushing himself in order to buy this large teddy bear. A teddy bear this big does not come cheap. He managed to collect and save money in such a short time span, I can tell that he must’ve worked very hard and long hours in order to do so. So, he must’ve felt relieved that he was finally able to buy the birthday present he had always wanted. …It is not unusual to see a person to suddenly collapse in weariness after achieving a very big goal….

Irie: “…But, ..I am really proud of you. It isn’t everyday that I see someone being able to buy such a large teddy bear. Satoko-chan will be very happy.”
Satoshi: “…..I sure…..hope so.”
Irie: “Of course she will! I’m certain of it!”

Satoshi: “….Her….aunt…is not here anymore. ….And uncle won’t come back either. ….She’s finally free…right? …No one is going to abuse her anymore….right?”
Irie: “Yes, that’s right. No one will abuse Satoko-chan anymore. So, you two can finally relax and live in peace….”
Satoshi: “…..Because aunt is dead right? ….That’s true right….? She’s dead….?”
Irie: “Yes. …She has indeed died. I’m sure of it because I performed the onsite autopsy myself. There’s no doubt about it. That’s why you can be rest assured that no one will abuse Satoko-chan anymore.”
Satoshi: “….Are you sure? You really checked thoroughly…that aunt was indeed dead…?”
Irie: “Yes. Absolutely.”

Satoshi: “…Then….even when I pass by someone that looks very similar to aunt….that’s not the aunt, right…? …It’s not like that the aunt somehow survived, …got released from the hospital…and is wandering around…right?”
Irie: “Yes. You have my guarantee. She’ll never show herself in front of you anymore.”

Satoshi: “Then….! Then…that person over there….that person looks very similar to aunt…but she isn’t right? Right….?!”

Satoshi-kun was franctically pointed at the person driving behind the wheel on the opposite road. I tried to look, but couldn’t catch a glimpse of it as it past by rather quickly. …But in either case, no matter how much similar she may have looked like; there was no way that the aunt could be alive.

Satoshi: “And, there too!! And there!! They look like her, yet they aren’t my aunt…?! I just saw her?!”
Irie: “C, Calm down Satoshi-kun. Your aunt is dead, period. No matter how much they look like her, they aren’t your aunt.”
Satoshi: “But, they are similar…similar…No, they ARE my aunt!! My aunt is still…see, there! I killed her…I bashed her head several times to make sure….but, but….why…! Why….?!”

All I could do was stay cool and focus on driving….

Satoshi-kun was clearly losing his calm. …Satoshi-kun is seeing delusions. …He is believing that the aunt he killed was still alive and is showing up everywhere he goes…

I instantly knew…that Satoshi-kun is showing the symptoms of the terminal stage…!

…As soon as we reach the clinic, I must put him into ER immediately. Fortunately, we are much prepared than the time when it happened to Satoko-chan. We now have a working vaccine. Satoshi-kun can be treated! And I can make sure that the Yamainus will be able to pull strings about his murder of his aunt. It is perfectly possible to save him from this terminal stage so that he can finally live at peace with Satoko-chan…!

Satoshi-kun suddenly stopped the commotion and became quiet.

…He didn’t fall asleep. …In either case, I must get to the clinic as fast as I can while he is in this state. There is no certainty that he might start attacking me while I am driving…

…Satoshi-kun suddenly said quietly as if he figured out what I was thinking…

Satoshi: “…Kantoku. …Is this…the Oyashiro-sama’s curse?”
Irie: “No, there is no such things as curses. Please stay in focus.”
Satoshi: “….Satoko….I’m sorry. ….To tell you the truth…I was really thinking of using this money to get away from here up until the last minute I bought this teddy bear… …That’s why the Oyashiro-sama cursed me…. …I’m a failed as her older brother….I….I….”
Irie: “You shouldn’t be talking. Please close your eyes and take a rest. We’re almost there to the clinic. There, I will prescribe you some medicines that will make you feel much better….”
Satoshi: “….I wonder if there are maggots in my blood too….ow….it itches…”
Irie: “No don’t!! You mustn't scratch your throat!!!”

The car arrived at the backdoor to the clinic.

I recklessly stepped on the brakes. Satoshi-kun was beginning to scratch out his throat. I could not hold him down by myself at this state. I asked for assistance to all the available staff inside through the intercom.

Several staff members came to my assistance immediately. …But Satoshi-kun began to become terrified at the sudden influx of people surrounding him and began to fight us off.

There was no need to for a test…he’s at L5. He’s at the most terminal stages of the syndrome and his thoughts must be filled with delusions and misguided thoughts. He mind must be thinking that the people around him are about to kill him.

The staff pinned him to the ground holding down his arms and legs to inject him with a syringe to put him to sleep.

“Please take care of Satoko.” Those were his words before he became unconscious.

Takano: “My my. I wondered what the commotion was all about. What’s this?”

Irie: “….Satoshi-kun suddenly showed the symptoms of the Hinamizawa Syndrome. ….Considering his stress that he must’ve endured in the past, it must’ve been just a matter of time. ….No…he must’ve psychologically repressed it all this time until he was able to buy this teddy bear….”

Takano: “Somebody up there must like me. We’re able to get our hands upon an excellent living sample every Watanagashi. I wonder if this is all thanks to the Oyashiro-sama. *chuckle chuckle*”

I never heard of him saying that his health was declining or that he was feeling ill. ...He suddenly felt a pain in his chest and he couldn’t sleep. The pain was so severe that he felt that it couldn’t wait until the next morning, so he called an ambulance for the first time in his life. He was immediately taken into emergency care, but he didn’t live to see sunrise.

…But in a way, it was the best possible way for him to go when compared to being in bed-ridden, slowly dilapidating and withering away. He was healthy right before his death, so I can say that he must’ve lived a wonderful life.

But still, it was all too sudden.

I should’ve called him ‘grandpa’ more… No matter how much I despair now, it is all too late. …Grandpa Koizumi would never smile his wrinkly old face back at me no matter how much I cry out to him.

…He was my guardian up until now. He looked after me all this time to assure me that all of my efforts would be righteously evaluated. While he may have done this out of spite to repatriate how he wasn’t able to provide any assistance towards my grandfather’s research, he still was an important person to me. …He wasn’t just my ordinary political backup. …But I wasn’t able to realize this when he was still alive. Up until now, I just used him like the rest of my political connections for my own agenda. …But I realized how much he meant to me once he passed away. Grandpa Koizumi was….my grandpa. He provided me the warmth that I yearned for from my own grandfather by taking care of me behind my back.

When I went to his funeral …I shed tears that I thought that forgot how to, just moments before his body was put into cremation.

…But he’ll never respond from now on. The only way to repay him for his support is to fulfill his dreams of completing this research. …I must accomplish my goal for his sake. Once my grandfather’s research is complete, grandpa Koizumi’s name will also be known once again for being the sole supporter of his research. …That is what I believed was the best way to repay him up until today. Hence, I vowed to put myself into research ever more deeply from that day forward…

But….just as I was coming back into focus…another tragedy occurred. …Once a sad thing happens, it seems bad luck comes along with it. …It was if the trail wind that was helping me sail had suddenly stopped and reverted itself into a head wind. It was sudden change in current. …One that was strong, chilly, …and saddening.

Takano: “…..What? What does that mean, Jirou-san?”
Tomitake: “…Well…You knew that Mr. Koizumi was the main political sponsor for the establishment of the Irie Facility, right? …The establishment of this place was done all thanks to Mr. Koizumi’s strong political pressure in maneuvering related bureaucracies for its approval. …He was indeed the top-ranking official who was known for the upbringing of the post-war pharmaceutical industry of Japan. He had very large political and industrial influence over these matters.”
Takano: “…So you’re saying that since Mr. Koizumi has passed away…so did his influence and pressure..?”

Tomitake: “….I don’t know the full extent of the details…but, it seems they’ve called a panel to reconsider the allocated budget for this project.”
Takano: “…You’re saying that they’re going to shut down the Irie Facility?!”

Tomitake: “Well, I haven’t heard of them reviewing the Irie Facility itself yet… But, one thing is certain. Due to Mr. Koizumi’s sudden death, there are vast confusions among the old guards and their factions, as well as the civil strife within the party for his successor. And it seems the opposing faction is gaining influence in the human resources of our client. As a result, the word is buzz that they’ve begun to dig deep into the holy treasure chest that the Koizumi faction held to fund their projects…. In either case, all of these are just too difficult to explain from my end so all of these could just be rumors…”

Even though Jirou-san told me that these were just rumors…it was a clear sign that I’ve hit a sudden head wind… Or, …perhaps Jirou-san already knows about what is to come, and he is warning me that the wind will only get stronger…

On the next routine audit…Jirou-san bluntly stated the word. This audit was different from the others that we had before; high government officials whom had never come to these audits joined us. …It was obvious that this was not going to be good news…

Tomitake: “As you all know, the Alphabet Project was created to strengthen post-war Japan’s presence in the world through the view of developing defensive weapons. However, we are now in the 1980s and the 21st century is just over the horizon. In this day and age, we must put the past behind us and start looking for a new world that is waiting for us in the 21st century.”

What he just said was straight and to the point. Japan has already let go of the pre-war glories of militarism and is cutting off its ties to the ghosts that wished to regain the militaristic might of the pre-war era.

Tomitake: “It has been almost forty years since the end of the war. Our country has contributed much to the world through various peaceful methods. We’ve created a large and strong alliance with the United States and it is safe to say our country is a major player in world affairs. We had kept up to our promise to forever renounce war and nuclear weapons, and we are known for being a nation of peace. In the future, our presence and influence will grow even larger for being so as well.”

The main sponsors of the Irie Facility, the Alphabet Project, were a group of people who wanted to find a weapon that would be deterrent to a nuclear weapon in which Japan was forbidden to own. This was the main reason to establish this place in the first place. …So by seeing that they’ve come to the subsidiary like the Irie Facility and giving us an explanation like this, is analogous in saying that Japan has renounced nuclear weapons PERIOD. It was apparent that the head wind against the Irie Facility will become much larger and much colder as time progresses…

The roll of dice that came up with one which hasn’t showed up since that cold stormy night is beginning to loom over my fate once again…

…I’m not going to cry in avail from just a result from a roll of dice... My will is not going to lose against by some playful trick of god’s roll of dice…!

Tomitake: “Hence, it is our judgment to review the Alphabet Project to one that is more befitting of our times. The new Alphabet Project will be redesigned in figuring out the best way for Japan to achieve a larger presence in world affairs not through militaristic means, but through more peaceful measures such as international trade and economic development.”

The pezzonovante who wielded tremendous influence within the politics and economy of Japan were all born in the pre-war generation. Their main dream is to regain the glory days of pre-war Japan. To them, they were like ghosts of the war who seriously believed that Japan can once again win a war if they were capable of developing a new bomb – just like the one that caused Japan’s defeat. …In fact, everyone believed that these men were like such ghosts who desperately grasped to such ideology. But no one dared to go up against them.

But it is inevitable that the old will just wither away and a newer generation will become the leaders of this country. Grandpa Koizumi was the last remaining pillar of the old guards. And with his death, it is time for the new generations to step in to the arena.

All the things that they previously could not argue against are now being debated and reviewed extensively. As for the Alphabet Project, heated debates were exchanged in which government officials began to openly oppose the rationale of its existence; a prime example of wasting taxpayers’ money by sucking money out of the treasury for the benefit of satisfying the personal reasons of a small group of people.

The powers once held by the old guards started to become assimilated and usurped...into the hands of the newer generation of politicians.

Tomitake: “Henceforth, the budgets allocated for all the projects that fall under the Alphabet will be reviewed extensively. And of course, the Irie Facility is no exception. We would like to ask for you complete cooperation and understanding of these matters. Thank you.”
Irie: “…..Understood. Our research is conducted in thanks to our sponsors. We will give our full cooperation and acknowledgement.”

Irie’s response was appropriate, but I could tell the bewilderment he must be having in his head.

The Irie Facility has the state-of-the-art equipment and the best researchers available. Simply put, this research uses up a lot of money very quickly. …From a standpoint of someone who could care less about the Hinamizawa Syndrome, people would wonder why so much money is being put into researching about some disgusting parasites.

If they are going to revise the budget, fine. So we’ve probably wasted some money by spending some of it too lavishly. It’s only going to be revised to a more appropriate budget. …We may have to cut some corners, but it’s something we can work around it. …At least that’s how I initially took it. …But when a roll of dice shows up as one, it clearly is a one.

Auditor: “…And so, a new oversight committee was created this April, and came up with the following decision to all related projects. I’ll be passing around these sheets and we’ll go over them as we go along.”

The papers began to be passed around clockwise. He started explaining the details written on the sheets, but I speed-read through the material so that I can learn about their ridiculous decision…

Auditor: “The Irie Facility was able to procure a spectacular achievement in finding out the mystery of an unknown disease called the Hinamizawa Syndrome, and even discovered a method to cure it as well. The committee is very well pleased by your accomplishments. They highly praise the efforts of Director Irie and the staff members of the Irie Facility for executing such a marvelous feat.”

Irie: “…Thank you.”

Despite receiving such a congratulatory praise from our members in government, both Irie and I remain cautious. It is customary to give the contradictory statements first before moving onto the main subject. If the main issue is something good, they start off with the bad news first. And it’s vice-versa when the main issue is bad...

Auditor: “The Irie Facility had two objectives to accomplish. The first objective was the research of the Hinamizawa Syndrome and finding its cure. The second objective was to study the possibility of utilizing the disease for military purpose. The new committee has decided to abandon this latter objective. They have decided that it is just an Achilles’ heel for Japan to be researching about biological weapons in this day and age. The Irie Facility is ordered to immediately cease all operations related to the latter objective.”

Irie: “Understood. We will comply as stated.”

Irie agreed to their demands immediately. No surprise here - he was assertive in the research to find a cure for the disease, but he was passive on researching its use for military purposes from the beginning. Hence, it wasn’t difficult for him to concur to such demands.

But to me, this whole thing is a charade. This research is only going to be limited towards treatment with these demands. …To me, finding a cure is just a by-product of my main goal to unravel the entire mystery.

Auditor: “And as for the Irie Facility, we would like to ask you to conclude your research within the next three years at the latest. The budget allocated for this project will be decreased accordingly.”

Irie: “W…Wait…! We’ve only figured out the details of the Hinamizawa Syndrome, and there is still much research to be done to find a better cure! Yes, it is true that we’re moving ahead, but there is no way we can accomplish our research within such a short time limit as three years…!”

Auditor: “It is to the committee’s understanding that the Irie Facility has already accomplished such a feat in which a total treatment is within arm’s reach. The Irie Facility has already produced the C117 vaccine, and much data has already been compiled…”

Irie: “I object…! The vaccines are just prototypes, and they are far from being absolutely effective! We still have not come up with a concrete plan to cure a vast population on the scale of the entire village! If I may say so, it is rather obtuse to assume that our research has been concluded when in fact, much more is still needed…!”

I was surprised at Irie’s objection. Thanks to him, I didn’t have to voice out my opinions. …If he didn’t I was certain that I would’ve stood up in hysteria.

Auditor: “Then from what I gather from your opinion, the Irie Facility considers the treatment of the entire village from the Hinamizawa Syndrome to be impossible at this moment?”

Irie: “Yes, that is exactly right. It is highly possible that we can achieve that goal to eradicate the Hinamizawa Syndrome from all the villagers in the future, and we agree to set that as our primary objective. But in order to do so, we need more time and more funds. Our job is done through researching the unknown, trial-and-error, and establishing our theories as true. It is very different from other jobs where one can always achieve a goal by following planned schedules and established blueprints. We would like the committee to understand the difference between our job and others.”

I was amazed at how Irie can be so vocal on his opinions. What he says is true – scientific research is a job in which one cannot obtain a goal through just time and money. …But I still have to disagree with some of his statements. …While Irie is on my side with regards to time and funds, his speech right now practically stated that he agrees completely with focusing on treating the Hinamizawa Syndrome as the primary objective. ….That’s not enough! We can never uncover the mystery of the disease with just that! The discovery of the Hinamizawa Syndrome is not enough for praising my grandfather…!

Auditor: “I see, you do have a point there, Director Irie. Our main concern is the fact that Japan was secretly conducting research into biological weapons for military purposes. Hence, it is our view that we must forever classify and hide the fact that we have been researching such a strange disease as the Hinamizawa Syndrome in the first place. Furthermore, the discovery of the Hinamizawa Syndrome itself must be put into the dark. If the complete eradication of the Hinamizawa Syndrome can be accomplished, it is desirable to us to commit further time and funds to achieve that goal. …Will it be okay for you to wait on this decision while we discuss this matter ourselves?”

Irie: “Yes, I have no problem with that.”

Auditor: “Then we would like to ask the Irie Facility to submit a draft plan and budget proposal to eradicate the Hinamizawa Syndrome in secrecy. We will do our best on our part on your proposal.”

Irie: “Understood. We will submit a plan immediately.”

Auditor: “Please don’t take this in the wrong context. We are not saying we want to put an end to this research immediately. We are more than willing to conclude this research in the best possible way. Please make a note of that.”

Irie: “…Of course. I understand.”

….While the two parties were discussing this amongst themselves, …I was struck dumbfounded with the statement one of them just said…

Eradicate the Hinamizawa Syndrome in secrecy

That’s the same as saying that the Hinamizawa Syndrome didn’t exist in the first place….

….There’s no way for my grandfather’s name to be known then….

As the audit progressed with rustling papers…all I could do was sit there while clutching my sweating palms as the second hand of the clock slowly ticked away…

Tomitake: "......Shall we call it a day? It doesn't look like you're in the mood for this today."
Takano: "Eh?......My, that's not true. I'm sorry if I looked that way to you."

Takano-san has been looking through the viewfinder since earlier, but I haven't seen her push the shutter once.
She's only coming along with me, it doesn't look like she's in the mood for wild bird photography at all herself....

Ever since the announcement of a change in policies at the new board meeting the other day, Takano-san has been looking depressed.

...I don't blame her. The Irie Institution was created by her to begin with.
It was created so that she could devote her life to the research of Hinamizawa Syndrome.

For that to be rejected, and then being asked to wrap up the research within a few years, you can't blame her for being depressed....

On top of that, it's not as if the remaining time will be spent working hard on the research either.
The fundings will be cut down gradually, by the end, they'll probably only be able to do some cleaning up of unfinished tasks, let alone research things.

......She said that she is the granddaughter of the late Takano-sensei.
...And that she has come this far with her determination to complete the research that her grandfather wasn't able to finish.

Not to mention the fact that things have actually been going pretty well up to this point... must've made the impact from the sudden change in wind direction even more severe....

The coup of the masterminds in the government appears to be quite a big one.
The new board of directors has been completely swapped out, I also hear that personnel shifts have been occuring to people or projects that the Koizumi faction used to be involved in as a warning to others.

Also, this sudden change in directions doesn't look like it'll be changing again in the near future.
......Hope is thin for a Koizumi faction comeback, no matter how much the Irie Institution tries to appeal itself, it was impossible to expect the same level of support it had received in the past.

Takano: "......Really, is there nothing more that can be done?"
Takano-san whispered as if talking to herself.

Tomitake: "............At first, the board actually talked about terminating the research immediately.... And it took a lot of convincing before they managed to make it a gradual suspension over several years.......The people who took care of us when Irie Institution was first born, that is."
Takano: "......*giggle*.... I see. So even this worst looking situation at one glace is actually the result of someone's hard earned victory from the shadows, huh...."

Tomitake: "And the time we have won is... no more than 3 years. I did my best too, for what it's worth. I went through the documents Takano-san had prepared up to this day with the board, and tried to explain just how important of a research this is...."
Takano: "......But even then, it's still all over in 3 years, isn't it?"

Maybe Takano-san doesn't know just how much hard work I had to go through to explain to the new directors on the board.
...Because in her words just now, there was a ring to it as if saying "no matter how many years we get, it doesn't change the fact that we're finished".

...Knowing that I wasn't able to meet her expectations, and dissappointing her... As a man, it hurts my chest.

Tomitake: "The best I can do is... route as much funding to the project as possible, so that at least you can study to your hearts content for a few years before the research gets wrapped up................I'm sorry, for not being able to do anything more."

Takano: "It's alright. If that's Jirou-san's best effort... then I'm really happy just for that."

......Her words were a little painful.

...I kind of wished she could've been a little smoother with her words, but it would be shameful as a man to expect something like that from her when she's hurt like this.
...Because this is exactly the kind of time where I have to understand her pains.

Besides, I also knew that she called the deceased Koizumi-sensei affectionally as grandpa.

For her, Koizumi-sensei's death is not just a start of a coup or a change in direction.
......There's probably also sadness from losing a protector who has always looked after her.

No matter how much she tries to stand on her toes and look mean... She wasn't someone who belonged in this world to begin with....... She's just, a normal woman.

But she became fascinated with the Hinamizawa Syndrome, and her research couldn't be continued without help from those with more powers than her.
......And there, extending its hands out to her... is the dark side of the world that, originally, she shouldn't have been involved with.

Inside this world, now left all alone, she's still putting on a strong looking face....

Takano-san must be thinking of me as an unreliable man.
...In reality, I'm not the kind of person who can meet her expectations...... nor do I have the power to.

The only thing I can do...... is to offer her my sincerity by being her ally until the very end.

As much mobility as she has... there are times where you can't tell what she'll do when she's cornered.
......I wanted to believe that it's impossible with her, but...... there's still an uncertainty where I don't know what she might do at the very end.

It'd be great if I could at least become a support for her heart during that final moment, before she makes that move.......
.......I felt pathethic for being so useless I can't even gain enough trust from her for that....

As a man, the feeling of wanting her to rely on me... exists, of course.

But that's not it....... At the very least, someone had to be an ally for her, who has been abandoned inside this world all alone.

And, if I'm the only one who knows about that... then, doesn't that make it my role?

I know very well by now that she's not the kind of person who askes for helps.
...Even if she thinks it's none of other's business and distances herself, I know that someone has to be there by her side.

I don't think I'm suited for that job.
...I think there must be lots of other reliable people who are far more suited for that job than me.
But still, that doesn't mean it's ok to just leave her all alone like this until someone like that appears for her....

Tomitake: "......Takano-san. I may be an unreliable, pathetic man...."
Takano: "Hmm? What's that, all of a sudden? What's wrong, Jirou-san?"
Tomitake: "Even then, I still think there must be things I can help you with if you asked. So-"
Takano: "Thank you. But I don't really believe that your heart can be lightened just by talking. I'm sorry. But I'm really happy just knowing that you cared."

Tomitake: "......I, is that so? It's alright then...... I will always be your ally, I hope you can at least believe me on that."
Takano: "Of course I believe you...... If you find out any good ways to convince the board, please let me know, ok?"
Tomitake: "Yeah.... I'll try my best too on my own."

Why, I wonder.
......I know that she's the one who has always been standing upright, and that my help isn't of any use to her whatsoever.

......Yet, I feel like she is in need of help and support right now.
...Even though at one glance, she doesn't look any different from her regular, strong self... For some reason, only I, who has always took all these photographs with her, know this.

Because, they say that a viewfinder is also a window to someone's heart.

...If course, if I say something like that, she will say that I'm out of character again, so I won't say it out loud.
Anyway.... I don't think she needed support any other time more than she needs it now....

*location is inside a Japanese style room of a traditional Japanese restaurant*

"Yo, Nakagawa-kun! It's been a long time. Have you been doing that recently? You know, that. Wahahahaha."
"No no, not at all anymore. People sure don't like getting old, don't you think?"
"You gotta concentrate when you do clays, if you put it off for too long, your senses gets dull, then there's no point!"

"Sir, allow me to introduce to you, Major Takano."
"Pleased to meet you. Thank you very much for offering me some of your time out of your busy schedule today."

"Ahh, it's not as if I made time just because of you or anything. They told me you get to eat some delicious raw uni (sea urchins) here, you see! Uni are great, you know? Rich in vitamin A, which is great for skins and stuff. Women love them, right? Uni! Wahahahahahaha!"
I'll admit that sea urchins are rich in vitamin A, but still, it's nothing to fuss about when you compare them to spinach.

......Well, none of that really matters, I guess.
...I just felt like criticizing since he's somewhat of an unpleasant man, that's all.

The men here today are the directors of the Alpha Project, who holds the fundings of Irie Institution.
Or perhaps people who can offer their opinions to those directors.

...Simply put, they're the new owners of Irie Institution.
......But, above that, although not as much as Grandpa Koizumi was, they are also the leaders and masterminds behind various fields.
I'll have to be careful to not act rudely in front of them....

Of course, there's no way someone like me would've had the ability to call them in.
We managed to create this chance by using the influence that the Koizumi faction once had.

Grandpa Koizumi, who used to lend me his full support to make everthing go my way, is no longer around.
......Starting from here, in a truer sense, I'm really going to have to open up the path on my own now.

However, today is not my solo stage.
Since I cannot cause the people who offered me this meeting to lose face, I can only accompany them in their drinking session and wait until I am given my chance to perform.

My biggest goal today is to explain to them just how impressive of a research topic the Hinamizawa Syndrome is, and to obtain an indefinite extension for the research.

Since these people don't look at anything except social connections, they're not understanding just how much potential the Hinamizawa Syndrome has.
They're not understanding just much research fundings is needed for this.

This research is not simply a study of the existence of an unknown parasite, it is something that might overthrow the very basic knowledges of human anthropology.
It's something that can't be signified enough even with a Nobel prize.

......It might be difficult to explain that to these uneducated people, but I have to do it.

For that purpose, I have spent a long time creating easy to understand support documents, so as to not confuse amateurs.
......Since we do not like contact with the ignorants, sometimes we would create confusing documents on purpose, but that's not the case this time.

Without looking down at them, I'll have to gain their understanding in a true sense, that's why.

Becuase of that, the documents that were made to be easy to understand has piled up quite high.
...To be honest, it's a really a waste to spend the time relaxing and picking away at traditional meals like this.
I want to hurry up and get to the main topic, so I can explain sincerely and carefully to them so that they can understand.

......But there's also a saying that goes "an anxious begger gets little".... I can only wait patiently for now.

"Yeah. To be honest, I don't think the Alphabet was all that geat up to this point. In the end, it's really nothing more than a sandbox play for those old men who still thinks we're in the Pacific War, you know. A sandbox where those old men uses connections that they don't own to draw the dream of a Japanese Empire revival. Can you imagine just how much public funds were wasted for these old geezers' delusions!?"

"From what I heard, they're pinning investigators on people like Okuno-sensei, and is trying to catch them for embezzling from the old board of directors."
"Wahahahahahaha. That's what you get for trying to suck up to those old men to get their juicy loots. Either way, none of this can be made public, so they'll probably be held responsible or demoted in another form... Really, this is the bill that Japan is paying for now for letting these ghosts of the war run around freely all these times! Man, the juice from this grilled uni is unbelievable! Uhahahahahaha!"

"This is hard for me to say.... I am really sorry to ask you for something like this in the middle of all this, but if I may have a moment of your time...."

"Um, you're from that Irie Instution, right? If I remember right, you people are doing some research on some local disease over at Nagano or Gifu or something, right? Uh, so what happened with that again?"

"The decision of the board is a halt in research for military application. Also, the entire research itself is to be shut down gradually over three years... Ah, sorry, that's still being decided right now. But still, either way, the research is scheduled to be closed down within a few years."

"Ahh, ahh! I remember now, I remember now! Irie Institution had a pretty bad reputation even with the old board of directors, I think. After all, it sucked up a huge amount of fundings without any form of checks. For some reason, someone high up kept on pushing for this project, you see. Due to that person's involvement, nobody could say anything in the end, and the whole thing was left alone....... But well! You know, that person loved flirting around with women, so maybe that had something to do with it, wahahahahahaha!"

Are you trying to say that I hooked up with Grandpa Koizumi using my body?

...That's the same as an insult towards us both.
......But I'll endure it. I can't it show on my face just because of something like this.

"......And so today, as we would like to explain about the research contents of the institution, in hope for a reconsideration of the board's decision, we have asked to have a moment of your time. We would like to thank you sincerely for taking the time out of your busy schedule to attend this meeting today...."
"Well, I guess they don't give out uni for nothing! Wahahahahaha!"

While being careful to not rush, I explained to them just how much meaning the Hinamizawa Syndrome carries.

The fact that Hinamizawa Syndrome's potential is not limited only to small things like military application, but having a much much more important meaning.

...The fact that it may even provide an explanation for various ideologies and religions.
And the fact that it may even shake the very definition of a human being. Slowly, I explained them all.

Although I'm not confident that these boorish men could understand them all, as long as they can understand, then that's good enough.
...All they need to understand is how much of a magnificent discovery the Hinamizawa Syndrome is....

"Thank you, Major.................. Hmm, I see.......hmm."
"We would like to discuss about this for a bit, so may we ask the Major to leave the room for the moment?"
"...Yes. If you will excuse me then."

I guess it's obvious they can't discuss about it in front of the person concerned.
...I left all the documents with them. All I can do now is hope they would accept them in a good way.

I left the room and closed the sliding screen door....... There's a room next door used for preparations, so I'll be heading there.

But... my foot stopped....... It's really against normal manners, but I listened in on them from across the sliding door.

"Really... wahahahaha, now, how do I say this... I guess there's no other way to describe this other than saying I feel bad for everyone from the previous board of directors."
"...No, hahahaha. You see, Koizumi-sensei really pushed for this strongly, so...."

"I have met Koizumi-sensei once before when he was positioned as the founding director of XX pharmaceuticals, and he seemed like a very intelligent person to me back then too......Mmm~"
"I guess you just can't win against aging! It makes you realize just how important final moments are for humans."

"But you know. It's true that Hinamizawa Syndrome is a very rare disease, so it certainly doesn't mean that all of this is a delusion...."
"Isn't Irie Institution already succeeding in understanding the disease and producing a treatment? That's enough for me."

"For modern Japan, we must be careful with events that might agitate our neighbouring countries. Among them, the most sensitive ones are military related, don't you think? At the very least, we must immediately erase the fact that a research for military purposes has been commencing for these past few years."
"Is that seperate from the halt in military research?"

"That's right. Even if we stop the research immediately, the fact that Hinamizawa Syndrome is a research for the development of a biological weapon remains. No matter what purpose it was for, we must cover up the fact that Hinamizawa Syndrome was ever researched on..... If possible, it would be desirable if Hinamizawa Syndrome itself disappears."
"True. If we leave this disease behind, people who are interested will begin to appear eventually, there's no guarantee that someone won't show up and dig up the hole that we have finally filled up. Our best bet is to follow the decision of the previous board, and as soon as Irie Institution eradicates the disease, have them destroy all evidences of the research before disbanding."

"Hmm. So that's the conclusion we have reached after all. The problem is not whether this research is worthy of a Nobel prize or not, but the fact that it's a useless research for the post-war Japan."

"Besides, the disease has existed since the ancient times to begin with, and we have made it this far without any problems, right? Right from the beginning, I thought this research was poking around the bushes too much."
"I agree. I have no doubt that this disease called Hinamizawa Syndrome actually exists......But this, this discoverer named Takano is exaggerating the disease too much!"
"When I was reading the documents, I thought of him as someone with some pretty unique thinkings too. First of all, I have never heard of a parasite that would affect people's thoughts. No matter what, that's just too much."

"If we can explain religions with this, then the Buddha and Jesus Christ are all, what was it? They would all end up being Queen Carriers. If we reveal something like that to the world, we'll get bashed to hell by every nation in the world."

"Religion is quite scary nowadays, after all. Wahahaha."

"If there are parasite that live in animal brains, then I suppose it's not unreasonable to say that there are parasite that live in human brains too. But for them to control the thoughts and personality of their host, wahahahahaha! That's just a little too unique, if you ask me!"

.......Peeking in from the gap in the sliding door...... I'm trapped within an unbelievable sense of deja vu.
It should've been my first time experiencing this... yet it feels like this wasn't the first time.

I'm not really sure, but that memory is really sad, and painful......eh..............eh, eh? Why are..... tears.......

Before I realized it... the other side of the sliding door is no longer a tatami-floored dining room...... but a very very nolstalgic carpet room instead.
It became that room, where the smell of dust mixed with the smell of some evaporated medicine made for a weird odor, but released a very soothing air of comfort.

Over there............ is the grandfather that I have missed so much.

The article that he poured his heart into denounced... and unable to even show his tears, there's grandfather.

This is not an illusion.
......Because, within the documents that I left with those men today, there were a lot of references to the articles written by grandfather.
...So it wouldn't surprise me even if grandfather was standing right there, explaining it to those men himself.

...And together with my tears from seeing the nolstalgic sight of grandfather...... I also watched those men insulting and ridiculing his great work....

A sight that has occured once before.
And a sight that should've ended then....
Yet, for some reason, the same sight is repeating itself in front of me again....

I can only peek through the sliding door blankly at this strange world where reality and illusion overlaps.

"That Major is a little weird too, and Koizumi-sensei is weird too for believing something ridiculous like this... but I suppose the weirdest one is this thesis article written by the discoverer, isn't it?"
"It's mixed with expectations and delusions, this looks to me more like a fiction than a thesis. Speaking of which, I think this article will probably get accepted better if you just take it to some publisher somewhere and turned it into a book."
"True true! I have a friend who's the head of a publishing company. I bet he'll love reading this. Wahahahahahaha!"

"This is not a laughing matter, everyone. After all, a huge amount of funds have been lost to this absurd research over the past few years.... The worst of it all is the fact that equipments for gassing the villagers in the case of a hazard has been prepared. This is something that our citizens must not know about."

"It's scary enough that a plan like that exists, for the necessary equipments to actually be prepared, forget overseas, even people from within our country might turn against us! On top of that, the cost for maintaining these gas killing equipments is crazy...!"
"Isn't it obvious that it's not really the maintenance fee? It's probably just a fake project used to channel money through or something. Besides, what was it? A disease where the death of 1 girl will cause a whole village to go mad? What kind of comic are you talking about?"

"Exactly, exactly! To swallow this childish story whole and letting huge amounts of fundings to flow out, that just won't do! If there's anyone who actually believed this document, then they're simply idiots!"

While saying that, he made an exaggerated gesture and placed the documents down violently.
......Maybe it's more fitting to say that he slammed them down rather than placed.

Because the document papers did not get placed down neatly, but fell and scattered all over the floor instead.

"I know, wahahahahaha! Ah, excuse me, I'm going to the washroom!"

Saying that, the man stood up, and...... stepped on it with a crush.

It was not the documents on the tatami......... but grandfather's article on the carpet.

And there...... filled with heart-tearing sadness, is grandfather. And yet, unable to let it show on his face, there's grandfather.

Grandfather's expression didn't look any different.
......But... it looked crumpled to me. The walls of the study room used by grandfather crumpled itself sadly.

"...................!!!"

I flew into the room.
... And then, I grabbed onto the old gentleman's foot. It's not that I hate him,
well no, if you ask me whether I hate him or not then I'd say yes, but... that's not it, that's not it.

I wanted to get those feet away from the scattered papers, which are still being stepped on even now.
...But those feet are stiff, as if they have grown roots, and refused to back off simply from someone like me pulling on them.

That's why I clinged onto them, and pleaded.
I tried pulling the articles out from under his soles. But I can't get those feet to back off, and I can't pull the articles out....

[Raw sea urchin and vitamin A is required]
[Big plush doll is required]
[Support for her spirit is required]

Spoiler:

......Grandfather's articles were trampled.

I have already found proofs as clear as the pathogen of Hinamizawa Syndrome, yet... why can't they accept it's mode of life as well?

...Because they have never heard of it before?
Because they can't imagine it in their minds?
Because such a ridiculous thing is impossible...?

I don't care about that....
I don't care about the limit of those commoners' understanding abilities....

Why won't anyone believe the truth of grandfather's article that has been confirmed by Irie Institution up to this day?
And why do people believe that humans are a special existence?

Aren't humans just a species of animal?
And while confirming the existence of various kinds of parasites that control their hosts, how can people say with certainty that parasites that uses humans as hosts do not exist?

......No, that's not it, that's not it. That's not right.

Because, didn't everyone believe grandfather's article up to this day...?
Didn't the health ministry and department of defence lend us their assistence because everyone were so impressed by grandfather's article?

......And all of that suddenly turned cold in a flip of a hand.

In other words... it meant everything were because I had Grandpa Koizumi as a backing shield.
...Then, does that mean... that nobody ever took grandfather's article seriously in the first place?
Everyone was simply pretending to praise the article to please Grandpa Koizumi?

What is the meaning of all the efforts I have made up until today...?

Up until today, I have always felt like I accomplished something, but what have I actually accomplished?
...Really, I don't even know what's what anymore, all I can do now is sulk in sadness.

The more I think, the more confused I am about what my life has been all about.

Takano(鷹野)... no, Takano(高野) Miyo was born and lived on to be useful for grandpa, wasn't she...?

......If that's the case, then I haven't accomplished anything.
What an absurd thing to say that I have counted the 3 together with grandpa, and is counting the 4 after....

......Stop it stop it.....
If I leave myself with even a little bit of room for thinking, criticism towards myself and my life quickly slips in....
By taking in alcohol everytime the gap in my heart is about to open, I can bury it for a little bit longer.

...Is it really that weird to presume an existence that has the ability to control people's minds and thinking?

It's true that Hinamizawa Syndrome was not the cause for the birth of ideologies.
The best it can do is cause patients to go mad. Nobody's saying that social or common beliefs came from it.

Grandfather lived in an age where you couldn't talk about the world without mentioning ideologies.

Even if we were to back down and admit that there are some exaggerated or twisted contents in the article since it was born in such an age, it's still no reason for people to deny it's foresighting potentials.

......There's no way people can just clean everything up simply by saying such a ridiculous thing cannot be true.

And... even though it's supposed to be the most important thing, also ignored was the fact that the queen carrier named Furude Rika is holding the life of the village in her hands.

Grandfather have always predicted the importance and dangerousness of the existence of the queen carrier ever since the beginning of his research on Hinamiza Syndrome.
However, the hypothesis that the death of the queen carrier will cause a great breakdown of the infected colony is a Pandora's box that cannot be demonstrated.

Because it cannot be confirmed other than after Furude Rika dies, and by the time she's dead, everything would be too late.

...However, as an objective truth, the fact that Furude Rika is a special existence as a queen carrier is not wrong, and it's also clear from various experiments that she has some special influences towards other regular carriers.

Her death will become the trigger for the collapse of the entire village.

......There's no mistake about that...!!
Because grandpa predicted that, he wrote it so!

And yet, to call it a comic book story, that's just too cruel...!

For them to refer to the various preparations we have made to protect her in order to fight against that worse case scenario as fictional projects used to tunnel funds... that's just too cruel.......

Everything I'm doing now is the continuation of what grandfather was going to do.
Therefore, to insult my research would be the same as insulting my grandfather.
In his article, grandfather said the first thing to do when beginning the research would be the protection of the queen carrier.
That's the truth, the right thing, and the most important thing. Yet, it was ridiculed upon the most...!!

The more I think, the more I am reminded of those insulting words.
......Feeling as if I can still hear those voices, I couldn't hold back my urge to plug my ears....

.........I bet all the directors think I'm nuts.

I meant to appeal for the continuation of the Irie Institution, and yet...... the effect was the exact opposite.
The directors must think of Hinamizawa Syndrome as even more of a silly thing now, and will probably push even harsher for the closure of the research.

If that happens, then I'll be returning to personal research again.
In other words, the same as grandfather.
...There's a limit to what one is able to research with only their passion.

......No, it's doubtful they would even let me go back to personal researches to begin with.

When Irie Institution is disbanded, a duty of confidentiality for all the involved works appears as well.
That was stated on the consent form, which I signed.

...We're not talking about an oral promise here... It means that if I were to break the promise, classified information protection squads like the Yamainu would go as far as wiping me out to keep everything confidential.

Even if that doesn't happen, Irie Institution will still eradicate Hinamizawa Syndrome within a few years from now, and bury every trace of it along with the research results.

This is not research and treatment.... All they're doing is pretending nothing ever existed in the first place.

...I came into this with the intention to take over and complete grandfather's research...... But the result was the complete opposite.
...Instead, I ended up lending a hand in possibly wiping out the research that grandfather has kept carefully under the wraps.

The treatment medicine is already being completed.
That cowardly Irie, he has always been so passive towards other researches, yet when it comes to treatment medicine research, he shows enough passion to rival even mine.

...On top of that... as much as I hate to say it, he has more than enough accomplishments and talent for it.
...He will definitely be able to come up with a plan to eradicate Hinamizawa Syndrome within three years, just like the new directors board wanted.
......The board will definitely give him enough funds to bury Hinamizawa Syndrome as well.

And Irie will probably happily bury even the fact that Hinamizawa Syndrome existed, I bet.
......Just like how he was ordered by the directors board and easily abandoned all the H170 type test medicines and research data...!

All I can do now...... just like Irie once did to me, is to hinder them passively while watching he and the others eradicate Hinamizawa Syndrome.

And then, when everything is over, where nothing will ever be presented, will I write an article that's destined to be destroyed....
...............Hold it within my chest, and dive off somewhere so that I can at least present it to grandfather...?

...Grandfather won't be happy even if I did that.
......Rather, he would probably shake his head at me for throwing a research he spent half his life on down the drain.
...Embracing me with his chest would be the last thing he do.......

I wanted to announce Hinamizawa Syndrome to the world.
I wanted people to accept it as a great accomplishment.
...I wanted to carve grandfather's name into history.........and promote him into a god.

Grandfether simply believed and waited for that time to come... and he must still be waiting anxiously for that day to come even after entering eternal sleep. And yet.......
......I ..........ruined all of it.............

I wanted to make grandfather god.
I wanted to become god myself as well.
...I figured if we do that, we would be together forever, and never be alone again.

If I become god, then I won't be tested by god.
No misfortune will visit me, nor will sudden train accidents.
Grandfather won't go away, nor will grandpa Koizumi.

......I won't have to be alone again ever....

...I am alone.

I have no allies.
I was simply dacing in ecstasy on top of a stage that nobody's looking at.

By the time I realized that, there are no applauses, only ridicules.
..........No, it's doubtful that anyone besides myself is even watching this in the first place....

My parents died, my grandfather died, and grandpa Koizumi died.... For three times, I am being played around with by God with dices.

Each time, I would feel like I managed to overcome it with my own strength. But I was wrong.
......Each time, I was protected by my next guardian, that's all.
And this time, there are no guardians left to protect me anymore....

Those defiant days when I first arrived at Hinamizawa fully intent on taking God on and kicking him off his throne, just where have they gone off to....?

Right now, forget taking God on, I'm nothing but a loser being played around with.......

I suddenly don't care about anything anymore.
........If I care about something, I would be swallowed by sadness, so in order to not care about anything, I continue to soak my heart within alcohol....

A luxurious black car suddenly stopped near me.
...The sight of that overlapped with the car that came to capture me when I escaped from the institution (*note 1), and my mind was cleared up within an instant.

Exiting from the driver and front passanger seat are two suspicious looking men wearing black suits and sunglasses.

......The thought flashed across my mind.... These people must be sent by one of my client masterminds.

Being involved with the development of a biological weapon, a project whose very own existence must be wiped out, not to mention being the main person responsible, and if you add being in an unstable mental condition to that, it's obvious they would let me roam about freely.

...They're going to kidnap me and erase my existence even if it means turning me into a concrete block, no doubt about it...................... That's what I thought.

That's why... I bet they're planning to pin my arms behind my back or something and shove me into the car roughly for sure.
...Since I was prepared for that, I was a little surprised when they bowed deeply toward me.

"You are the vice-administrator of Irie Institution, Major Takano Miyo, correct?"
"......Normally, yes.... but I'm just a drunken loser right now."

"There is someone who would like to meet you. May we ask you to come with us?"
".........Even if I refuse, you're just going to take me by force anyway, right?"

I'm going to get killed either way...... And even if I live, I still can't grant my grandfather's wish.... I said with cynicism.

And then, the person sitting in the back seat of the car said,

"We won't force you.... However, I believe we can be of help to you, Major."
I think she's near my age. But I don't remember meeting this young female before.

Since she knows about Irie Institution, she must be related to my clients, I guess.
...She can't possibly be a client herself, at such a young age.

......Most likely, she was sent as a messenger by a client who doesn't want to show himself, or something like that.

......Either way, I can't make grandfather god anymore even if I live on now. I can't become god either.
Then, where or how a loser is killed.... none of that matter anymore.

I made up my mind, and followed their suggestion to get into the back seat of the car.
...Once they confirmed that, the car began to move forward comfortably with a smoothness unique to luxury cars.

For a while, the interior of the car was enveloped in silence.

......They're the ones who invited me. There's nothing for me to say to them first.

"...Long time no see- although even if I say that, you probably don't recognize me.... I have met with Takano-san once at Koizumi-sensei's funeral."
"......Oh, is that so? ...Sorry for not remembering."

There were many people at the funeral grounds, I can't remember everyone's face.

...But why say something like that as a greeting?
......Does that mean... she is with the Koizumi faction......?

"Koizumi-sensei has been active for a long time as an opinion leader in the recovery of post-war Japan. It would probably be difficult to speak of the peaceful Japan today without mentioning Koizumi-sensei's accomplishments."
".........................."

"Back when we were rebuilding the country from the post-war barren fields, the willing ones of our nation were monolithic. However, it is unfortunate that the same can't be said for now....... The peaceful era continues, and a generation who knowing nothing of barren fields begins to enter into the core of the nation, and the number of those who knows of such noble wills began to decrease.......... As the final elder of those noble comrades, Koizumi-sensei was the central support who has guided our nation towards the 21st century. However-"
"......After Koizumi-sensei's death, the Koizumi faction quickly faltered. In exchange, other factions began extending their influence, and things are becoming a mess, right?"

I heard about these things from Jirou-san, so I know about it.

And this is no different from the warring states period. When a lord or military leader dies, competition to become a successor always occurs, bringing chaos to the country.
...Our country hasn't changed one bit for the past few hundreds of years.

"That's correct....... Unfortunately, although the peaceful Japan has managed to build itself into a comfortable country to live in, at the same time, it has also forgotten the nobel wills of its beginning. Right now, various factions in Tokyo are in the middle of a conflict over who should get to take over the seat and powers left behind by Koizumi-sensei. If Koizumi-sensei and other deceased servicemen of our country finds out about this, they would be sighing from their graves without a doubt."

".....................What does that have to do, with me...?"
"Are you not the biggest victim of all this? Up until this day, You have experienced plenty of sudden changes in the direction of the wind, have you not...?"
"....................."

It's true that the research began under the sponsorship of Koizumi-sensei.
...Against that, it's true that contacts against the anti-Koizumi factions has been cold and intense.

...Maybe for them, the fact that every project left behind by Koizumi-sensei is an eyesore matters more than the actual contents of the research.

......Now that I think about it...... Something like this happened with grandfather too.

Back then, when Koizumi-sensei brought various authorities in the field with him to visit grandfather.
...Those people talked down to grandfather, a complete opposite from their praises earlier.

......The reason behind that was pressure from the masterminds at the time, that's what Koizumi-sensei told us later, remember...?

"The research of Hinamizawa Syndrome is the largest one within the Alphabet Project, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is the Project's number one leader, in terms of funding, organization, and everything else. Because of that, your research has been made scapegoat by those people who are plotting to monopolize the interests of the Alphabet."
"............Scapegoat."

"By no means was the research of Hinamizawa Syndrome denied, that's what I'm saying. What's important to those people is the faction of that project, not its contents....... Today, that's what I wanted Takano-san to know."
"......In the end... I'm just a sacrifice goat put up for everyone to see, huh....... It didn't matter what kind of research I was doing... All they cared about was the fact that the research belonged to the Koizumi faction...."

"Exactly. Political factions themselves are the wind direction. Sometimes the wind is favorable, sometimes the wind is against you. Unfortunately, it is not easy to restore the wind direction once it has changed."
"You mean it's not easy to restore my clients from being hostile back to normal...?"

"That's right. The Alphabet Project has been completely taken over. All the directors have been replaced, and it's clear that they're only interested in fulfilling their own selfish desires....... They were never interested in listening to your desperate explanations in the first place."
...I grasped onto my knees, and remembered that humiliating day....

"............Let's take a step back now. What is the objective of the research to you, Takano-san?"
"Eh?.........Um, it's to fulfill my intellectual curiosity as a researcher...."

"Was not it because of the promise you have made with the late Takano-sensei, whom you referred to as grandfather and admired...?"

...I stiffened.

Since Koizumi-sensei told me that this fact could become a hinderance if people were to find out about it, I haven't revealed it to any of my clients.

......Where did she find out about this?
No, if they know about this...... it's possible that they know a lot more about us than I had imagined.

"Where did you find out about that?"
"From Koizumi-sensei."
"Eh?!"

"We are not your enemies. Please relax yourself. We came because we want to be of real help to you."
"................................................. ."

I don't know who she is, but... there's no doubt that she came wanting something from me.
...Just what kind of deal is she wanting to make with me?

For her to know about my relationship with grandfather, it doesn't look like I can be careless here anymore.

"However, in order for us to help you, you must tell us the truth. In other words, we want you to be honest."

".........I do not understand what you're saying."

"What is Takano-san's true objective for the research on Hinamizawa Syndrome?"

...To prove grandfather's research as a great accomplishment... and to make him a god.

"...................................."

"To prove the value of the late Takano-sensei's research to the world...... and to get revenge against those who trampled on and looked down on the articles that your grandfather wrote with all his might, is it not?"
I was at my limits just trying not to let my shock show on my face.

Just how much...... does this woman know about me?

...No, just who is this woman...?
How come she can tell everything that I'm thinking, as if they are all within her hand's reach?

"...................................."

But there's no way I can admit that out loud.......It's what they call dignity...

But while an angel-like smile appeared on the face of this elegantly smiling woman... she laughed (嗤う) in a devilish whisper done even more skillfully than me.

笑う (warau, to laugh) and 嗤う (also warau, but means to laugh (at), sneer) means different things.
笑う is to express good will, but... 嗤う means the exact opposite.

This woman has read my mind completely... and is testing just how honest I can be.
Whether I will speak the truth or not is no longer the problem.

...She's simply testing whether or not I can show enough trust to confess that to her.

"If what I'm saying is a complete misunderstanding, then please forgive me. I will take you to the nearest train station. Near this area, it would be the Kokura station, is that alright?"
".................um........................."

"But............... If what I'm saying is anywhere near your true feelings...... then I believe you and I can form a cooperative relationship. How about it? Takano Miyo-san?"
"..............................."

I couldn't reply, but that silence already held the same meaning as a reply.
......Because I am wanting to hear this woman's proposal.

Up until this day, I have always made my objective a vague one with abstract expressions such as turning grandfather into a god.

I want to make those people fight over and read the articles they once laughed at and trampled on.

And I want to make them believe and worship every single word grandfather left behind.

That is what my true object has been....

And... this woman has repeated that objective, which I had always only whispered within my heart, out loud, and asked me whether she's right or not.

.........Is this woman, an angel?...... Or a devil?
......If I call myself a human being... then is she something above that............?

"Your misfortune is caused by the fact that you did not understand your own goals physically.... That's why you could not achieve it no matter how much you devoted yourself to the research. To set abstract goals such as uncovering the mysteries of the Hinamizawa Syndrome, never able to be achieved, you couldn't help but to question your own life....... Am I right? Right, that's wrong. Your true objective, no, your dream is not something that abstract. Can you imagine this scenery?...... The true top leaders in control of this nation reading your grandfather's article, and while being shocked at its contents, believing all of it without a hint of doubt... Those people humbly reading those articles with footprints left on their backsides, and while expressing their respect at the insightfulness of the research, tremble in fear.......Well? Can you imagine it now, I wonder...?"

............This is the first time I imagined something like that.
...And... that actually just may be my dream....

"The term Hinamizawa Syndrome was created by your grandfather, right? That word will echo to every corner of this nation...... the word that your grandfather created will remain carved in eternity."
"Remain carved... in eternity."

"That's right. That means raising your grandfather and his great accomplishments... into an eternal existence.......... Fufufufufufu? That is the dream you have devoted your entire life to as Takano Miyo...... is it not...? Fufufufufufu...?"
Grandfather's great accomplishments remain carved... in eternity. Carved.... in eternity....

"YET!! Those pigs who could not understand these great accomplishments turned that dream of yours into a sacrifice simply because of faction conflicts and scramble for interests, and is trying to trample it into the ground! ............Just like how they... *squish*... trampled on your grandfather's articles... right? Fufufufufu...."
"............................!...."

"You're feeling regret, full of regret. Those data you have done your best to create, that's right, they're the same as the articles your grandpa did his best to create. Those people who trampled on and ridiculed them are unforgivable. Those pigs who made fun of grandpa's great accomplishments are unforgivable, right? Is that not true?... Nope, it's true. You simply didn't think about it because someone as kind as you don't know of any words used to condemn people.............Right?"
"................................"
Unknown feelings began to rise within me... it's hard to breathe.

The feeling of being cautious and at peace and trust and mistrust all mixed together.
......My heart began to thump before I know it, and my fingertips began to tremble.

Why......feel peaceful?

Becaus she has taught me my real dream that I was not able to express with my own words even after having grown up to this age.
And because she made me aware of the anger within me that has nowhere to go.

Why...... feel doubt?

Because she has taught me things that I have never told anyone, no, things that I have never even told myself about.

"Hey... Miyo-san? ............If what I'm saying is not wrong......... but actually completely correct............ Then I believe I can definitely help you achieve your dreams... and revenge."

".................Haa........ ..........Haa..........."

"Fufu, what's the matter...? Are you not feeling well? It would be rude of me to keep you here then. Let's take you to the nearest train station."
"......N.............no............."

A small voice leaked out from my mouth pathetically.
......It's almost like when you were little, you would end up apologizing for a prank that you pulled when you realized that you couldn't hide it anymore.

"......If what you said is my dream......... then what are you saying you can do for me?"

"I will help with your two revenges. One is the revenge for your grandfather. We will make those people who ridiculed your grandfather's articles take them into their hands humbly once again. Those articles they have trampled on with their feet, you see........ And the other is the revenge against the directors board for trampling on the syndrome research, which also has an emotional connection to your promise with your grandfather, simply because of faction conflicts. And for trying to end the research just to secure their own interests. A revenge against those pigs for trampling on your documents in front of your eyes, and for trying to trample even your life as well now."

"..............Revenge against the directors board......... for taking grandfather's articles and trampling them...."

"For me to be honest as well, of course, the reason why we're lending our help is because our interests are the same. We cannot allow the project that Koizumi-sensei established for the sake of Japan's future be eaten up by the likes of these lowlifes after his death....... If we only had more power, we wouldn't have allowed these lowlifes to become involved. However, the wind direction changed, and the project will no longer return to being Koizumi-sensei's ideal. It has become a pigsty for those pigs to satisfy their own selfish desires.... Koizumi-sensei, who was also the naming parent of the Alphabet Project, would not have wished for the project to remain like this either. The project should have been folded up the moment it deviated from Koizumi-sensei's ideals."

"...............Are you saying you want to make the sacrifice sheep of the faction conflicts into a wolf now?"
"If you choose to keep your grandfather's articles hiddenly away within your chest, never to be announced, then I won't force you to change your mind."

.........That's the only thing..... I don't want.

I don't mind falling to the ground myself.
But at least..... let grandpa.... let grandpa's articles.......

"Do you not want to make the articles that are the materialization of you and your grandfather's lives into something eternal......? Fufu, because... wasn't that supposed to be your true desire......?"

"............That's right.... That is......my reason to be alive...."
"We will help you obtain the chance to grant your true dream."

...Admitting myself to be a loser in life...... in the night where I drowned myself in tears and alcohol after being abandoned by everything, I obtained the help of someone who could either be an angel or a devil...

Is this an assistance from heaven? Or the whispers of a devil...?

I fought with the new directors board for the continuation of the research.
But... that was completely off-target.... It was completely off from my real objective.

My objective is not to continue researching Hinamizawa Syndrome.

...But to make people accept grandfather's research.
......Before I realized it, the method to achieve that swapped places with my objective, and caused me to misunderstand myself.

My life did not exist for the sake of continuing grandfather's research.
......It existed for the sake of relieving grandfather's regret...... for the sake of revenge.

The woman said this.
She promises to make grandfather's research eternal.
And she even promises to give me a chance to get my revenge against those people who ridiculed his research.

When grandpa Koizumi died, I thought God was playing around with me with dices again.

But... my strong determination has called forth powers that surpass the likes of those dices.
...That's why, maybe this meeting was an obvious one.

......God, you fool, trying to test me with dices again....

I will overcome grandpa Koizumi's death.
And I will definitely, definitely, make grandfather an eternal existence...... and get my revenge against God for testing me.... for sure... without a doubt...!

I will, take revenge.

(*note 1: reference to Matsuribayashi-hen main plot, concerning her childhood experiences at an unethical orphanage institution)

Last edited by kj1980; 2006-12-21 at 14:23.
Reason: Reason: translation by Sushi-Y